Marin Planning Commission backs 336-unit housing, campus project at Strawberry seminary

A rendering of the proposed residential development at the former Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary campus in Strawberry shows low-rise housing units along a landscaped pedestrian path. (Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects via county of Marin)

The Marin County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a long-contested redevelopment of the former Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary campus in Strawberry, advancing plans for 336 new homes, a senior-care center and a graduate school to the Board of Supervisors after more than a decade of community conflict.

The vote followed a last-minute deal between North Coast Land Holdings and the board of the Seminary Neighborhood Association, the project’s longtime principal opponent. Announced at the March 2 commission hearing, the agreement drew immediate criticism from residents who said they had been left out.

The Board of Supervisors will take up the project next month for a final decision.

The project calls for 336 new homes with 859 bedrooms on the 127-acre hilltop campus, which overlooks San Francisco Bay, replacing 139 of the 152 existing housing units on the property. Of the new homes, 70 would be below market rate.

North Coast describes the plan as “multigenerational.” Academic programs would be limited to graduate, postgraduate and research fields under the terms of the settlement. The project also includes a 267,354-square-foot senior residential-care facility with 100 independent-living apartments and 44 to 50 assisted-living and memory-care units. A 20,000-square-foot building would house a fitness center and preschool.

After seven hours of staff presentations, public testimony and deliberation, the commission voted to forward the project to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval. The environmental-impact report, master use permit, master plan, design review, tree-removal permit and vesting tentative map all received commission support.

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