A Point Reyes Station landowner is pressing forward with his effort to subdivide an 82-acre property, while state and local agencies have outlined some of the challenges the proposal could face.
San Diego-based entrepreneur Yan Cui submitted a pre-application to the county in February, presenting a rough sketch of 27 buildable lots spread over four parcels just north of downtown. The property, which was formerly grazed, 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. A horseback riding business, Point Reyes Arabian Adventures, operates on the land.
In response to Mr. Cui’s pre-application, California Coastal Commission staff said that coastal regulations protecting sensitive habitat areas and waterways could cramp the effort to subdivide. Local agencies added that the houses would need to be clustered to maximize agricultural land, and that the project would require a water distribution facility and an affordable housing plan that ensured 20 percent of the lots were sold at affordable rates.
Mr. Cui, who bought the property from the Giacomini family last year, told the Light that he would pursue the necessary studies to determine the potential of the property.
“It’ll probably take five to 10 years, but we are going to provide a detailed design for the subdivision,” Mr. Cui said. “The coastal requirement is very strict, and whether we’ll be approved or not, we don’t know. The property was several million dollars, so nothing will stop us.”
Though Mr. Cui has not stated that he plans to develop housing on the land, an application to subdivide requires preliminary outlines and studies. He hired San Rafael engineer Xiaoqing Zeng to submit the pre-application to explore what was feasible.
The pre-application was reviewed by several state and local agencies, including the coastal commission, North Marin Water District, the Marin County Fire Department, and Marin’s Community Development Agency, Department of Public Works and Environmental Health Services division. It described roadway improvements, driveways, utility installation, vegetation removal and more—all in very broad terms.
“There’s not much for us to review and comment on,” Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Alber wrote in his response. “I will say that with the terrain there, it is going to be difficult to provide code-complying access to some of the parcels. Until they start providing details regarding the infrastructure—roadways, driveways, and water and hydrant distribution—there’s not much for us to say.”
Mr. Zeng had argued that the subdivision would be exempt from a coastal permit, given that the property lay within an area that allows for the construction of single-family residences and land divisions without such permits. But Leslie Velasquez, a staffer with the California Coastal Commission, demurred, writing in her response that “many of the proposed subdivided lots will be within sensitive habitat buffer areas.” And properties within 100 feet of a body of water are not exempt, she said.
“Therefore, we don’t believe this project qualifies for the exemption given that most, if not all, of the parcels proposed will overlap with sensitive habitat areas,” she wrote.
The Marin County Community Development Agency wrote in its response that the project is still too vague to determine whether it would trigger an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. That would be determined once a complete application is submitted. But coastal zoning rules require that developments be clustered to preserve agricultural lands and wildlife habitat. The Local Coastal Program also mandates that 20 percent of parcels in new developments be deeded as below market-rate homes.
Lia Solar, an engineer at North Marin Water District, said in her response that a new water distribution facility would need to be built before the subdivision could be served. That would require an analysis by the district at the cost of Mr. Cui.
Steve Antonaros, president of the Point Reyes Station Village Association, told the Light that the group’s members were pleased with the county’s response. Although the Point Reyes Station Community Plan encourages the development of workforce housing, it also calls for diversity in lot sizes and building densities. Developments should be compatible in scale and character with existing development and should preserve views.
The project is still “too conceptual” to warrant strong feelings, Mr. Antonaros said, but any features that went against the community plan—like the obstruction of a nice viewshed—would likely become an issue for residents.
“On a flat, suburban expansion zone, it would be a completely different project for the owner, but this is in a very sensitive environmental area with coastal views,” he said. “They’ve tried to make each parcel without regard to the viewshed. I think Point Reyes might be silent, but Inverness will be loud about carving into viewsheds that are pretty much adjacent to Black Mountain.”
The project provoked the ire of locals when it was posted on a community Facebook group earlier this spring. Comments included, “Stop this!” “This is terrible news.” “Booo!” “Where is MALT when you need them.” A few cheered the prospect of more housing in a town that has a dire shortage of options.
Last week, the village association briefly discussed the proposal and its response. Members emphasized the clustering requirement and the role of the group’s design review committee in commenting on any future plans.
“What we really need is community housing, workforce housing, on smaller lots,” Mr. Antonaros said. “We need primary residences, not second or third homes.”
Gordon Bennett said Mr. Cui might consider an easement with the Marin Agricultural Land Trust for the portion of the property he did not plan to develop. “It might help him, and it might preserve some of the rural character,” Mr. Bennett said. “There’s a tax benefit and maybe a community advantage as well.”