For the last year and a half, the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin, a tiny nonprofit housing organization, has confronted an enormous challenge: finding homes for 150 displaced ranch residents in a market where the scarcity of affordable housing is dire.
CLAM recently closed a deal on the final tranche of housing needed to meet its goal, signing a lease with an option to purchase the Cottages at Point Reyes Seashore. The property, located at the entrance to the Point Reyes National Seashore, will provide housing for roughly 10 families.
The vacation retreat, which has been operating since 1964, has been owned by Susan and Andy Howard for more than a decade. Each of its five buildings has four motel-style units, some connected with adjoining doors and all featuring kitchenettes. The Howards will continue to live in the main house on the 15-acre property.
CLAM intends to begin renting the units to displaced ranch families within the next few weeks; eventually, it plans to purchase the property for an undisclosed price, after working with the county on entitlements and permits to convert it to permanent housing.
“In the past year, CLAM has closed on 11 parcels, all of which have been designated for the displaced families from the Martinelli ranch or the Point Reyes National Seashore,” said Tom McCafferty, CLAM’s director of properties. “The Cottages agreement is the last in that series of purchases.”
The Howards declined to comment on the deal but recently posted about it on their website. “West Marin is in the midst of a housing crisis,” they wrote. “As a result, CLAM is purchasing the cottages to alleviate this very time-sensitive problem. As such, it is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that as of the end of May, the Cottages at Point Reyes Seashore has ended operations as a hotel.”
The property has a swimming pool and a tennis court, and a couple years ago, the Howards partnered with the Inverness Tennis Club to build pickleball courts. The club will continue to manage the courts under the agreement with CLAM.
The land trust has been scouting locations for interim and long-term housing ever since the settlement of a lawsuit brought against the National Park Service by three environmental groups led to the closure of 12 ranches and dairies in the seashore. The deal set a March deadline for about 100 ranch tenants to move out.
Meanwhile, another 50 people were displaced from housing in the Martinelli ranch, just north of Point Reyes Station, after the county declared the R.V.s they were living in unfit for habitation.
Since then, CLAM has been on an intensive search for housing solutions, partnering with the county and local organizations. Last month, the land trust announced the purchase of residential properties in Inverness and Point Reyes Station, each of which can accommodate three displaced ranch families, and an agreement to lease a farmhouse in Stinson Beach from All Hands Ecology, the environmental nonprofit previously known as Audubon Canyon Ranch.
Since the seashore settlement was announced, CLAM has placed 10 of the affected families into long-term housing. Another 30 families have been staying in temporary housing until long-term residences become available, some in short-term rentals, some with family and some in bridge housing.
Another 10 families have relocated over the hill and don’t intend to return, although CLAM has committed to helping them find housing if they choose to do so.
More CLAM housing will come online next month, when 14 tiny homes open at Sixth and B Streets in Point Reyes Station, where the nonprofit will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July. The county has contributed $2.5 million toward the project, purchasing the lot, leasing it to CLAM and helping pay for site improvements.
CLAM began negotiating a deal to purchase the Cottages from the Howards shortly after the settlement.
“It’s been a really long work in progress,” said Leah Fritts Vitali, CLAM’s director of operations. “It’s an inventive solution to the housing crisis, and we’re proud of it. It’s really close to beautiful hiking trails. Hearts Desire is right down the street. It’s just such a great place for families.”
The property is essentially move-in ready. “The cottages are in excellent condition,” Mr. McCafferty said. “They have been really well taken care of.”
Before the Howards purchased the Cottages property in 2013, CLAM had considered buying it, but the nonprofit was unable to raise the funds. The place was known at the time as the Inverness Valley Inn.
The Howards were in their early 60s when they bought the inn. “Unless there’s some strong incentive to move on, we probably won’t,” Mr. Howard said at the time. “We may settle here and grow old.” Thirteen years later, that remains the plan.
Selena Holland, who worked as an innkeeper and a housekeeper and at the Cottages for three years, said she’s sorry to see it close but thinks the deal with CLAM is a win for the community.
“The Howards put an amazing amount of work into that property,” Ms. Holland said. “It’s a beautiful spot and it will be perfect for families.”