Politics & Government

Online Petition Protests High-Density Housing in Tam Junction

An online petition against high-density housing in Mill Valley’s unincorporated Tam Junction has garnered more than 300 signatures as residents continue to oppose the regional Plan Bay Area and the 2012 Draft Marin County Housing Element.

The change.org petition, sponsored by Sustainable TamAlmonte, opposes development in the 20-acre commercial strip between Tam Valley and Almonte at the intersection of Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway and Almonte Boulevard.)

The area is muddy and contains development hazards such as excessive traffic congestion, severe flooding and projected sea level rise, a lack of infrastrure and basic services, and proximity to natural habitats, according to Sustainable TamAlmonte.

One Bay Area has established Tam Junction as a Project/Priority Development Area, also known as a PDA, which prioritizes it for transportation infrastructure funding. But building there would “threaten the environment and jeopardize public health, safety and welfare,” the organization said.

“Our findings were determined after careful and extensive research conducted by environmental attorneys, environmentalists, technical environmental experts and dedicated local residents,” said Chairperson Sharon Rushton.
The petition calls on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and the Marin County Planning Commission to:

  • Remove Tam Valley and Almonte from the Hwy 101 Priority Development Area of the regional Plan Bay Area
  • Remove affordable housing sites proposed for Tam Junction in the 2012 Draft Marin County Housing Element
  • Ensure that future Tam Junction projects are subject to thorough environmental review.
A similar petition in 2012 to The U.S. House of Representatives received 557 signatures. It was forwarded to community leaders and included the same basic requests.

"There is a distinct sense that community leaders are not listening to a desire to lower the amount of potential residential build-out in commercial/mixed use areas and preserve the community and environment of Tam Valley from ill-conceived and selfish development," it states.

Sustainable TamAlmonte is certainly not alone it its opposition to proposed countywide development plans.

Marin residents have turned out in droves at One Bay Area public hearings to protest the multi-agency proposal to deal with the Bay Area's long-range land use and transportation challenges over the next 30 years.

The plan seeks to connect projected population and job growth with new residential development near transit corridors. It projects that Marin will gain 33,000 new residents by 2040, calling for the development of 7,510 new housing units in Marin between now and 2040, a 7 percent increase from 111,210 to 118,720, to accommodate that growth. The plan also calls for the creation of 2,292 new housing units by 2022, and predicts 17 percent job growth in the county over that span, from 110,730 to 129,130 jobs.

Although some residents have expressed the need for more affordable housing and better public transportation in Marin, countless others have asked officials to slow down the process and give the public more time to submit public comments and review the plan.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are slated to adopt Plan Bay Area this summer




Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here