Marin adopts green Countywide Plan

Environmental groups declare victory, but remain skeptical and vigilant

On Nov. 6 the Marin County Board of Supervisors adopted an updated Countywide Plan that incorporates great new environmental protections: the addition of a Baylands Corridor to protect areas along San Pablo Bay and designation of the lowest-density alternative for the St. Vincent/Silveira property in east San Rafael.

These were major goals of the Campaign for Marin, a group of the county's major environmental organizations set up under Sierra Club leadership in 2005 to advocate for strong conservation policies in the plan. The Marin Independent-Journal, in a Nov. 7 front-page article, listed environmentalists as key winners.

The designation for St. Vincent/Silveira will allow up to 121 market-rate units, plus up to 100 additional units for very-low- and low-income households, allocated between the two properties. Some senior-care facilities may also be permitted in lieu of other housing, provided that peak-hour traffic impacts do not exceed the traffic impacts of 221 units.

New development is restricted to 5% of the land area and must observe constraints for environmental purposes such as habitat protection, streamside conservation, ridge and upland greenbelt protection, wetlands, tidelands, views, and community separation.

The decision was also supported by representatives of St. Vincent, who have stated that they plan to present a development plan for a senior facility within the next year. It will be essential to scrutinize their traffic projections carefully, to protect against excessive development.

The establishment of the Baylands Corridor, with boundaries extending from the Bay to Highway 101, formed the basis for the low-density designation for St. Vincent/Silveira. An important research document supporting the corridor is the report Ecological Connections: Baylands and Uplands, prepared by the San Francisco Estuary Institute and paid for by environmental organizations. The report documented the connections among ecosystems along the Bay, from the shoreline through tidal marshes, seasonal wetlands, and the various habitats in adjacent uplands.

On a less positive note, the plan allows houses of up to 7,000 square feet per house on agricultural parcels, more than double the average existing home on such lands. The Campaign for Marin had recommended a lower maximum, to discourage estate homes that are not consistent with agriculture and are wasteful of energy.

The plan does not adequately address inclusion of some large parcels at the north end of the county in the Baylands Corridor. Stream protections are weaker than in the 1994 plan. Also, the Environmental Impact Report reveals a huge amount of additional commercial development projected for Marin - the equivalent of 18 TransAmerica pyramids. Most of this growth would be inside city limits, particularly in Novato, but the Countywide Plan regulates only unincorporated areas.

Under the guiding theme of "Sustainability," the plan does include numerous policies to support green building techniques and water and energy conservation.

Much work is left to implement the plan, and environmental groups will be heavily involved in:

• updating community plans for consistency with the new Countywide Plan;
• revision of the Local Coastal Program;
• revisions to the zoning ordinance;
• studies of additional lands to be included in the Baylands Corridor;
• evaluation of the cumulative effects of development along streams;
• establishing a city-county committee to work together on issues of countywide importance, such as excessive commercial development.

To get involved with next steps in the Countywide Plan, contact Chapter conservation organizer or call (415) 200-8975

Marge Macris