North Coast Land Holdings Master Plan and Community Plan Amendment Project

The project involves a proposal from North Coast Land Holdings LLC to renovate and redevelop housing and related uses at the former Golden Gate Baptist Seminary property on the Strawberry Peninsula. The proposed development would entail the replacement and renovation of 139 existing residential units, the construction of 184 new residential units, and addition of a residential care facility for senior citizens that would contain 150 living units consisting of 50 memory care and 100 independent living/assisting living units. Renovation of an existing academic building and the relocation of an existing daycare to a new 20,000 square foot building that would also house a fitness center are proposed. Seventy percent of the project site would be retained for open space and recreational uses. In addition to the residential and recreational uses, Olivet University is the current tenant of the academic buildings on the property, with a total of approximately 200 students enrolled. Except as described above, the project does not propose any changes to the academic use, facilities or operations. The applicant has applied for various planning entitlements for the project including: 1. An application to amend policies and design guidelines contained in the Amendments to the Strawberry Community Plan, 1982 in order to update non-substantive references and modify policies addressing student housing and development in the Chapel Hill area; 2. A Master Plan to guide overall development of the site; 3. A Design Review and Tree Removal Permit to construct the majority of the residential improvements and to remove approximately 50 trees; 4. A Master Use Permit to allow daycare and fitness center uses; and 5. A Vesting Tentative Map to provide 185 units as condominiums. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to CEQA was prepared for the project. The EIR concluded that the project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, temporary construction noise, and transportation (vehicle miles traveled). On March 2 and March 30, 2026, the Marin County Planning Commission held public hearings regarding the Final EIR and the project. At the conclusion of the public hearings and following deliberation, the Planning Commission (“Commission”) recommended approval of the project with some modifications and also requested that the BOS further consider the design of a playing field. While the Planning Commission recommended approval of the project, the Commission recommended denial of the applicant’s request to amend the Strawberry Community Plan. The Commission’s rationale in denying the community plan amendment was that the applicant’s amendment did not represent the vision of the community and more community engagement was necessary to support an amendment to the plan. Denial of the Community Plan amendment would not preclude development of the project as proposed, since the applicant requested waivers to development standards as well as a concession to the policies and guidelines in the Community Plan under State Density Bonus Law. At the March 2 Planning Commission hearing, the applicant proposed changes to the project conditions to reflect an agreement with the board of the Seminary Neighborhood Association, that would limit the nature of the academic use, cap the number of commuting students to the university at 325, and prioritize on-site users of the daycare and fitness center. These modified conditions were incorporated in the project recommended for approval. The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved the project on June 9, 2026, and has made the following determinations regarding the above-described project: 1. The project will have a significant effect on the environment. 2. An Environmental Impact Report was prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions of CEQA. 3. Mitigation measures were adopted and incorporated into the project. 4. A Statement of Overriding Considerations was adopted for this project. 5. Findings were made pursuant to the provisions of CEQA.