Marin County’s efforts to draw historically disadvantaged groups to apply for Coast Guard housing should not hurt local applicants, a Marin County official told worried West Marin residents at a public meeting on Monday night.

About 200 people packed the West Marin School gym and made a fervent plea to the county for a focus on local workers when allocating the affordable homes planned at the Coast Guard complex. A public swimming pool, workshop facilities and environmentally sustainable design were among other requests. 

The 32-acre property, which has 36 town homes and about 10,000 square feet of non-housing space, is still owned by the Coast Guard, which was ordered to sell it to the county in 2016 in legislation crafted by Congressman Jared Huffman, then-Supervisor Steve Kinsey and the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin. 

The county expects to purchase the facility either next year or the year after, depending on the pace of negotiations. This year, the county will select a developer to manage and potentially own it. 

Monday’s meeting, and a Spanish-language meeting held last week, were the first public meetings at which county representatives presented the development timeline for the project and sought feedback from the community. 

Three members from a community advisory working group—West Marin School Principal Matt Nagle, West Marin Community Services manager Socorro Romo and Health and Human Services social worker Maria Niggle—helped to facilitate the meeting, while others from the 10-member group sat with the audience.

After a brief presentation, attendees broke into groups to discuss key questions, including how the project could serve local residents while also meeting federal Fair Housing Act obligations. Groups presented their proposals on posters and then put stickers beside their favorite ideas to graphically illustrate public support for different points.

Leelee Thomas, planning manager for the county’s Housing and Federal Grants Division, said prioritizing local applicants was a common refrain in communities developing affordable housing, but that it was important to consider how this focus might lead to discrimination against some groups. 

“Based on the race and ethnicity of this community, a local preference would likely have a discriminatory impact,” she said, explaining that Marin was “much whiter” than the rest of the Bay Area.

Ms. Thomas said the county would make special efforts to encourage applicants from groups that have historically experienced discrimination. 

Her comments drew a strong response from attendees. 

“It’s all about finding housing for locals, for farmers, teachers, seniors,” one speaker told the crowd. 

“We’re not ready to settle for a ‘no’ on this,” another resident said. 

One breakout group suggested the project be partially funded by local businesses and nonprofits so that part of it could have preference for local applicants. Another noted that workers were leaving West Marin because of the lack of housing. 

“Don’t over-racialize the problem,” the group wrote in a comment.

One attendee spoke on behalf of Latino community members who grew up locally and work in the area. In the past, they have strongly supported affordable housing developments to help their community, but have lost out in past developments. “We are worried,” she said.

Ms. Thomas sought to assuage concerns, saying federal fair housing laws would not mean locals would necessarily miss out. At the nearby affordable complex on Giacomini Road, 68 percent of residents work in West Marin and 20 percent have disabilities, she said. 

“We can do both,” she said of satisfying fair housing requirements and local needs. “Locals can make sure word gets out to those who need it.” 

Asked whether there was data on the need for affordable housing in West Marin, Ms. Thomas said there were estimates for Marin County as a whole and for certain zip codes, but she gave no specific information about West Marin.  

The Coast Guard facility, which has a commercial kitchen, tennis and basketball courts, two covered pavilions, workshops and a small playground, is an exciting opportunity to incorporate sustainable building technologies, architect and Inverness resident Jim Campe said. 

According to him, the Giacomini Road project sought advice on sustainable building practices too late in the development process. The new facility could include solar panels, sustainable wastewater systems and electric vehicle charging stations. 

The developer, which will be selected in coming months, should be experienced in sustainable building practices, he argued.

Members of the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin attended Monday’s meeting but did not play a leadership role. The group is preparing a bid for the property and did not want a conflict of interest, the nonprofit’s executive director, Kim Thompson, said. 

Other attendees said the community would benefit greatly from developing the facilities for public use. A pool, makers’ workshops, bicycle trails, edible landscaping and a community kitchen were just some of the suggestions put forth.

The county will meet with the working group on May 7. By May 9, it expects to send out a summary of points made at this week’s meeting.