Marinwood Housing Project Seeks Expansion

Expansion Plans for Senior Housing Project in Marinwood Spark Debate

A new proposal has emerged to significantly expand a senior housing development in Marinwood, raising questions about its impact on the community and the feasibility of the project. The property at 200 Marinwood Ave., which was approved in 2018 for a 126-unit housing development, is now being considered for a major expansion by its new owner.

Under the revised plan, the Oaks Senior Living Community project would increase from 101,794 square feet of floor area to 174,368 square feet. This substantial growth would involve taller buildings, more units, and additional amenities. Former Marin County planning commissioner Don Dickenson described the project as “a huge project” that would be “way more imposing in this revised plan.”

Building Heights and Design Changes

The two buildings in the original plan were set to be two and three stories high. The revised proposal increases the height of both structures to four stories each. One building would rise from 40.5 feet to 52 feet, while the other would go from 31.4 feet to 50 feet. An underground garage would also be added beneath both buildings, featuring 126 parking spaces.

The original project included 75 assisted-living units and 51 apartments that could be used for either assisted living or independent living based on market demand. The new proposal changes this to 153 total apartments: 91 for independent living, 41 for assisted living, and 21 memory-care units. Most memory-care units would be under 400 square feet, while assisted-living units would range from 400 to 1,000 square feet. Independent-living units would be between 559 and 1,234 square feet.

Affordable Housing and Regulatory Considerations

Like the previous plan, the amended proposal includes five affordable units. Four of these would be 740 square feet, and one would be 760 square feet. However, it remains unclear whether these units will meet the county’s inclusionary housing requirements. Developers are required to price 20% of their projects as “affordable” or pay an in-lieu fee.

Michelle Levenson, a Marin County planner, noted that the expansion is still under evaluation. “We are in the process of determining whether they need to amend their master plan for this project,” she said. The master plan, created in 2005, would require approval from Marin County supervisors if any changes are made. Previously, an amendment allowed the original project to exceed the initial floor area limit of 94,400 square feet.

Levenson added that the Marin County Community Development Agency might decide that only a design review amendment is needed, but it could also require review by the county Planning Commission.

Financial Challenges and Recent History

The project has faced financial hurdles in the past. Robert Eves, who secured the entitlements for the earlier plan, was vague about why the project never got built. “We were involved in a lot of other things at the time,” he said.

Kent Hawkins, manager of Oaks Senior Living LLC, which purchased the property in 2021, explained the changes in the proposal. “The market is speaking to us. The market wants more independent-living units, and a bit fewer memory-care units. In order to do that, you have to make the units bigger.”

Hawkins emphasized that the project will occupy only 9.6 acres of the 106-acre site. “The bottom line is, the community needs more assisted-living, memory-care and independent-living housing,” he said. “Nothing's been built in a long time.”

Before the 2018 approval, another proposal for 150 studio apartments for seniors was approved but failed to attract investors. Documents filed in federal bankruptcy court show that Oaks Senior Living nearly lost the property to foreclosure last year. The company was forced into an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Venture Senior Living, one of its creditors.

Eves explained that the company failed to pay financing when it was due, leading to a notice of default and subsequent foreclosure proceedings. At the time, Oaks Senior Living owed Marin County $73,595 in unpaid property taxes on the Marinwood property.

However, Venture Senior Living and other creditors agreed to drop the case in July. Eves suggested that the filing was a strategy to buy time for Oaks Senior Living to secure another loan. “If a foreclosure had gone forward, then the property would have been lost, the development would have been finished and my firm would never have been paid the remaining money that it was due.”

Hawkins said that financing for the project is no longer an issue. “We're fine now,” he said. “We found another lender to replace what we had. That's all been solved.”