The use permit for the Marshall Tavern’s conversion into a bed-and-breakfast was approved by Marin County last week, but not without objections from neighbors over a pier and boat launch mandated by the California Coastal Commission. 

The tavern, built in the early 1900s, has sat vacant for the last 37 years. In that time, numerous owners have made attempts to restore it. Gary Dowd, a developer from Fairfax, purchased the property in 2017 from Daniel Altman and Avi Atid, who owned it for 13 years. Mr. Dowd retained their coastal permit, which mandates a public pier with water access.

The 4,000-square-foot platform is planned for the north side of the tavern, where pilings remain from an old hotel. Mr. Dowd proposes a concession stand and a public restroom on the north end of the pier. 

As required by the coastal commission, a ramp will extend into the bay to a floating dock, where small boats can be dropped into the water. Two benches, bicycle racks, signs directing guests to coastal access and an elevated walkway along the road are also required.

Members of the East Shore Planning Group, which consists of about 90 owners and tenants along Tomales Bay, have expressed concern specifically about the pier in letters and at a hearing last week with Immanuel Bereket, the county’s deputy zoning administrator. They support Mr. Dowd’s project but object to the condition mandating the pier at that location. 

“Where it is right now, going into a mudflat, has public-safety health issues,” Mary Halley, the president of the planning group, said at the hearing. “It’s in an already very congested downtown area, where the local businesses have to hire valets just to keep the road moving along. And then it’s on a blind turn, where people will stop when they go to look for parking.”

George Clyde, the secretary of the planning group, asked the county to set a period of time when the use permit could be reopened and amended if unforeseen negative impacts arise.

“We are uniformly in support of the project,” member Steve Sicher said, “but view the issues of parking, bathroom access and the safety of the boat launch—where people could go out when there is water, come back when there is mudflat—as a risk for the public who visits us and also for the residents.”

The owner of the property directly north of the tavern, Evan Shively, went a step further and asked the deputy zoning administrator to deny the use permit. “I feel very strongly that the pier, concession and boat launch as conceived now are extremely ill-advised and would negatively impact the community of Marshall for generations,” Mr. Shively said. “It could attract, in its current form, hundreds of visitors.”

After neighbors expressed their concerns, Mr. Dowd was given the chance to address them. He told the room that he would happily abandon the pier to move forward with the renovation, but that the coastal commission has made clear that a public pier must be part of the project. 

“We want to blend in and do the right thing, but we also want to see our project move forward,” he said. “This pier issue, we’re sort of between a rock and a hard place.” 

Mr. Dowd said the annual reporting requirement with the coastal commission would allow for adjustments once the business is operating; he believes he can address the concern about the boat launch being in a mudflat by extending the floating pontoons into deeper water. 

“We’re hopeful that the community will grow to realize the pier is an asset to all—both locals and day visitors,” he said.

As for parking, a consultant conducted a traffic study that found that eight gravel parking spots would be adequate for the bed-and-breakfast. Because the concession stand does not have seating, dedicated parking is not required. Already, five spaces exist parallel to the pier site.

Mr. Dowd said the concession would offer an alternative to the restaurants in the area with affordable, grab-and-go items, such as hot dogs, ice cream, coffee and beer. It will be open no more than seven hours a day, five days a week. The concession may also sell essentials for visitors, like sweatshirts and blankets. “It will be a great place for bicyclists to stop,” he said.

Courtney Rudnick, a Mill Valley resident who spends time hiking and biking in West Marin, supported this point. “It would be a great part of the community to be able to have concessions for when we’re cycling and we get hungry and there is really no place to eat and you don’t want to go into a restaurant,” she said. 

Elizabeth Love, a Larskpur resident, agreed. “I wanted to express my support of the project, for a great place for people on this side of Marin to head to that side of Marin,” she said.

At the end of the hearing, Mr. Bereket approved the use permit with two conditions: that the concession cannot have outside seating, and if the coastal commission were to rescind its requirement for 24-hour pier access, the county’s approval of the project would stand.

“Our hands are tied, and we have very limited room to modify conditions of approval of a third party,” Mr. Bereket said of concerns about the pier.

Sara Pfeiffer, the coastal commission’s planner dedicated to the tavern project, said the commission is not currently considering amending its coastal access requirements.

With the use permit approved, building permits may be signed off by the county and more administrative documents need approval from coastal commission staff. Mr. Dowd hopes that process will wrap up in the next six months, so the 18-month construction project can begin. 

The renovation will elevate the hotel by three feet and save as much of the existing structure as is practical. The siding will receive a fresh coat of blue paint. Inside, the tavern will be turned into a seven-bedroom residence, with five rooms for guests and two rooms for staff.

The tavern was built by John Shields in the early 1900s—contrary to what has been written in planning documents, on the building exterior and in numerous publications, including the Light, that say the hotel was built in 1873 by the Marshall brothers. According to new research by local historian Dewey Livingston, the brothers built their hotels further north, on solid land.

Mr. Shields, a rancher, purchased the tideland property in 1902 after giving up his search for other land. There, he built a hotel, which burned down in 1971, and a small general store where the tavern now stands. Before he sold the property, he expanded the store to its current size. 

In the 1940s and 1950s, Harry and Beulah Summerfield popularized the location as it became less a mercantile and more a public attraction. In the 1960s, various owners built up the business and established the tavern so that by the end of the decade it was a hopping scene for live music, hosting acts such as Joan Baez, Van Morrison and Neil Young. The tavern closed for business in 1982.