A San Diego-based entrepreneur is investigating the possibility of subdividing an 82-acre property outside Point Reyes Station into 27 single plots. Last week, a pre-application was submitted to the Marin Community Development Agency on behalf of Yan Cui, who bought the property from the Giacomini family in March 2023 for around $4 million.
According to the project applicant, Xiaoqing Zeng, a supervising engineer for San Rafael-based Stetson Engineers, Mr. Cui has no further plans for the property at this point.
“If the application is approved, what we’ll do I don’t know—whether he keeps it or sells it,” Mr. Zeng said. “It’s an empty, vacant lot so he wants it to be usable for future development. Who’s going to develop or use it? I have no idea, he has no idea either. We both have no idea what the county would approve.”
The property is made up of four adjoining parcels and is bounded by Point Reyes-Petaluma Road and Lagunitas Creek on the south, Highway 1 to the west, rural residential housing to the north and open pastureland to the east. Within the property is a horseback riding business, Point Reyes Arabian Adventures. Owner Susan Rowsell said Mr. Cui offered her a 10-year lease when he bought the land and has planted trees and cleaned up the ponds and the land that she uses for her business.
The property is exempt from certain rules and permit requirements enforced by the California Coastal Commission. It falls into a categorical exclusion area that allows for the construction of single-family residences, land divisions, and other specified developments without the need for a coastal permit. According to the report, Mr. Cui is willing to meet a requirement outlined in the exclusion order for public access along Highway 1.
The proposed 27 parcels would be spread over 77 acres, leaving a small undeveloped area along Point Reyes-Petaluma Road. The pre-application outlines a quarter-acre of public road improvements along that road and 4.75 acres of common areas, including driveways, utility layout and maintenance areas. The parcels, which range in size from 1.5 acres to just under 6 acres, would have their own septic systems.
Point Reyes Station is split into several different zoning categories. Some areas require subdivided parcels to be at least five acres, while agricultural zones require a minimum of 60 acres per parcel. Mr. Cui’s property is zoned for a minimum size of 3 acres per parcel.
The pre-application process helps the county determine whether housing can be built on the property and requires review by several agencies. In this case that includes the county’s Department of Public Works, which evaluates the necessity of local utilities and road access, and Marin County Environmental Health Services, which evaluates wastewater needs. In addition, the application has been sent to local fire departments, the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin and North Marin Water District, which already indicated it could accommodate the extra customers.
Steve Antonaros, the president of the Point Reyes Station Village Association, said in an email that the pre-application raises more questions than it answers. The association’s members have already expressed a number of concerns over the goal of the subdivision and what kind of development, if any, would come of it.
Megan Alton, the county planner assigned to the project, said she is gathering feedback from local agencies and is hoping to have a response to the pre-application ready in the next two to three months.
“We’re gathering feedback about rules and regulations and giving it all to them so they know what the process for the application will be,” she said. “This document paints a bigger picture for what is going to happen if it’s feasible as proposed.”
Marcel Houtzager owns Black Mountain Ranch, which abuts Mr. Cui’s land. He said he was unaware of the pre-application but had spoken to Mr. Cui when he first bought the land.
“We would like to have agriculture and a pristine environment and housing—and there’s no way we can have all three,” Mr. Houtzager said. “Let the fireworks begin.”