Priority Development Areas
[Editor's Note: Although Supervisor Adams created the 101 Corridor Priority Development Area on August 7, 2007 HERE and claimed little knowledge of it later, the fact remains that the County has identified all land within 1/2 mile of the 101 for urbanization. With the expected passage of the new draconian SB-1, the state will have new powers to condemn suburban neighborhoods in order to build high density housing at 30 units per acre. This makes the removal of Marinwood PDA an academic exercise. Your property is still under threat by government and private parties thanks to Susan Adams and the rest of the Board of Supervisors.]
Plan Bay Area concentrates 77% of new housing into 5% of the land area - known as "Priority Development Areas" or PDAs. There are numerous PDAs designated for Marin (see map below).
What Does it Mean if I Live in a Priority Development Area?
Based on Plan Bay Areas numbers and the available land in PDAs the average density of PDAs will be 79 units per acre, or about 100,000 people per square mile. Manhattan and Hong Kong are both less than 70,000.
Source: John & Burns Real Estate Consulting Review of Draft Plan Bay Area. (see page 4).
How Does this Translate to Marin PDAs?
As a "Transit Town Center", North San Rafael / Civic Center (next to the SMART station) is projected by the analysis to have a maximum of 75 units per acre - a density equivalent to Hong Kong or Manhattan. Meanwhile downtown San Rafael as a "City Center" is projected to have a maximum of 150 units per acre exceeding even the density of even Dhaka, the densest urban area in the world, which has 115,000 people per square mile. Meanwhile the area of 101 beside Mill Valley (e.g. Marinwood, Strawberry, Tam Junction) as a" Transit Neighborhood" is assigned a target density of 50 units per acre.
How Will the Plan Achieve This - Surely They Won't Tear My House Down?
No, they won't tear down your house. The land in your PDA will be rezoned for mandatory minimum densities that are much higher than the current density. Your house will be "grandfathered".
What if My Neighbor's House Burns Down?
If your neighbor's house burns down, they will likely not be allowed to replace it except with an apartment or condo or whatever meets the minimum density of the zone.
Additionally banks won't finance the purchase of a single family home in an area with a minimum density. So if a house burns down it cannot be replaced (potentially some variance may be allowed with sufficient justification, but this would require obtaining permission).
You neighbor may however be able to sell their vacant land at a premium to a developer who can build more dense apartments. They may not lose money, but if they want to live in a single family home they will have to sell and move to a new location.
What About Vacant Lots in My Neighborhood?
If your neighbor has a vacant lot, they will only be able to build high-density on it. If your neighbor has a large back yard, they can put an apartment building on it.
You won't be required to tear down your house, but how long will you want to continue to live in that neighborhood?
Source: John & Burns Real Estate Consulting Review of Draft Plan Bay Area. (see page 4).
How Does this Translate to Marin PDAs?
As a "Transit Town Center", North San Rafael / Civic Center (next to the SMART station) is projected by the analysis to have a maximum of 75 units per acre - a density equivalent to Hong Kong or Manhattan. Meanwhile downtown San Rafael as a "City Center" is projected to have a maximum of 150 units per acre exceeding even the density of even Dhaka, the densest urban area in the world, which has 115,000 people per square mile. Meanwhile the area of 101 beside Mill Valley (e.g. Marinwood, Strawberry, Tam Junction) as a" Transit Neighborhood" is assigned a target density of 50 units per acre.
How Will the Plan Achieve This - Surely They Won't Tear My House Down?
No, they won't tear down your house. The land in your PDA will be rezoned for mandatory minimum densities that are much higher than the current density. Your house will be "grandfathered".
What if My Neighbor's House Burns Down?
If your neighbor's house burns down, they will likely not be allowed to replace it except with an apartment or condo or whatever meets the minimum density of the zone.
Additionally banks won't finance the purchase of a single family home in an area with a minimum density. So if a house burns down it cannot be replaced (potentially some variance may be allowed with sufficient justification, but this would require obtaining permission).
You neighbor may however be able to sell their vacant land at a premium to a developer who can build more dense apartments. They may not lose money, but if they want to live in a single family home they will have to sell and move to a new location.
What About Vacant Lots in My Neighborhood?
If your neighbor has a vacant lot, they will only be able to build high-density on it. If your neighbor has a large back yard, they can put an apartment building on it.
You won't be required to tear down your house, but how long will you want to continue to live in that neighborhood?
Marinwood Priority Development Area is all land east of Las Gallinas
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