Opponents of a proposal to remodel the Point Reyes Station gas station and install five units of housing—including two affordable units—are making another attempt to derail the project over objections to a full-scale convenience store.
The Point Reyes Station Village Association has appealed Marin County’s approval of the project to the California Coastal Commission, arguing that the store would violate Marin’s local coastal development rules, undermine a historic structure, increase danger at a busy intersection and make junk food accessible to schoolchildren.
The association, which filed its appeal on Sept. 4, also raised health concerns about building apartments close to the station’s gas pumps. But above all, the appeal argues that the project is inconsistent with the village’s historic character.
“The source of much of Point Reyes Station’s character and visitor appeal is its identity as a small rural town not overtaken by the fast-food lifestyle that characterizes much of modern life,” the appeal states.
The association stressed that Redwood Oil, which owns the gas station, operates 23 gas stations in Northern California and would sell prepared food without using local ingredients.
“Unlike some other unfortunate coastal towns, Point Reyes Station has avoided becoming a tourist trap with characterless shops hawking mass-produced souvenirs,” the appeal states.
The appeal questions whether the project would actually add two units of affordable housing, pointing out that the building currently contains two affordable units. But those units are unpermitted and substandard, and they are not deed restricted, according to county staff. The proposed renovation would cap the rents, guaranteeing that they would remain affordable in perpetuity.
Marin supervisors approved the project on July 30, overriding the concerns of the village association and the Marin County Planning Commission. At the time, supervisors argued that the project would add essential housing in a community where shelter—especially affordable shelter—is scarce.
District Four Supervisor Dennis Rodoni recused himself from the vote, citing partial ownership of a property close enough to the gas station that voting would have violated state conflict-of-interest laws.
Last April, echoing the village association’s concerns, the seven-member planning commission approved a significantly scaled-back version the project. Commissioners endorsed the housing units but restricted the convenience store to half the size of the 1,700-square-foot establishment later approved by the supervisors.
Redwood Oil has argued that the project would not be economically viable without a larger convenience store.
The coastal commission is expected to decide whether to schedule a hearing on the village association’s appeal in October or November.
The project has been through various iterations since Redwood Oil first proposed it last year. The company originally proposed a 1,900-square-foot mini-mart, but it later submitted a modified proposal calling for the 1,700-square-foot store.
The original design called for enclosing the front porch to make room for the larger store, but the proposal approved by supervisors includes a new front porch that would maintain the general appearance of the original structure.
The village association argued that the porch was a key architectural feature of the building, which was built in 1932. The appeal cites an assessment by Dewey Livingston, a cultural and architectural historian who described the building as “a fine example of vernacular architecture in a rural agriculture-based coastal town.”