Neighbors threaten lawsuit over Strawberry senior-care project
- Tyler Callister
- 1h
- 2 min read
A fight is brewing over a senior-care facility planned for a Strawberry hillside, with neighbors threatening legal action and calling the project “absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
The five-story, 150,655-square-foot building would house 106 units on a vacant lot at 70 N. Knoll Road, standing more than 60 feet tall near homes in what residents describe as a semi-rural neighborhood. Marin County is moving forward with review and potential approval of the plan through a streamlining process that limits public input.
One local group led by Strawberry resident Scott Arwin said it is considering a lawsuit to block the facility. The group held a meeting at an Eagle Rock Road home Oct. 29 to organize opposition. Members cite safety risks for seniors, increased traffic, environmental concerns and the project’s poor fit with the area’s character, as well as noise, light and air-quality issues.
The developers — brothers Ali Shabahangi and Amir Kia of San Anselmo-based Spirit Living Group — submitted their latest application revision Oct. 6. The proposal includes 71 independent-living apartments and 35 assisted-living and memory-care suites on 3.7 acres of the 6.6-acre site, with the remaining acreage preserved as open space. The county is reviewing it and has until tomorrow, Nov. 6, to deem it complete or incomplete under the ministerial-review process.
“I just think it’s unfortunate that some neighbors are considering legal action against the project,” Shabahangi said in an interview. “It’s a project that I think addresses the lack of housing, particularly senior housing in the area. And we also understand that the state has established safeguards to prevent misuse of litigation to block housing. But our hope is that it doesn’t come to that.”
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