The county has made it easier for a group of Bolinas homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, the latest step in a pilot project intended to rescue failing septic systems and encourage affordable housing.
Last February, Marin’s Community Development Agency partnered with the Bolinas Community Land Trust to help 22 homes modernize their unpermitted septic systems on the Big Mesa, where they pose a significant environmental hazard because of the high water table. The upgrades, funded by low-interest federal loans, were also supposed to let the property owners construct ADUs that could help relieve the village’s strained housing market.
But in the past year, county officials said, it became clear that the homeowners needed more help. “One thing that we’ve collectively learned is that the cost and complexity of septic funding is just one barrier for adding ADUs,” said Sarah Jones, assistant director of the C.D.A.
Last month, supervisors authorized the C.D.A. to waive all ADU fees for the project’s participants for the next five years, provided the units are deed-restricted as long-term rentals. Ms. Jones estimated the total cost of the fees would have amounted to $250,000 for up to 25 eligible properties.
Supervisor Dennis Rodoni praised the agency’s flexibility. “This was a creative pilot to start with and we’ve figured out that creating housing is really difficult, especially on the coast,” he said. “So we’ve had to become more creative.”