Marin Voice: Collaboration has been key for Oak Hill housing initiative

For years, Marin County has wrestled with a core challenge: How can we support our educators and public servants who are increasingly priced out of the communities they serve?

The Oak Hill Workforce Housing initiative offers a bold, realistic solution, and it’s now poised to become reality. With a balanced budget, a viable financing plan and broad-based support from across government, education and philanthropy, this project is a model for how local and state partnerships can deliver real change.

This development will create 135 affordable rental apartments in central Marin for school employees and county workers. The units will serve households earning 50% to 80% of the area median income, targeting household incomes ranging from $67,000 to $155,000. For teachers, paraeducators, school staff and public service workers, this is not just housing — it’s a lifeline.

Too many of these essential workers are commuting long distances or leaving Marin altogether. Stable, affordable housing in the community they serve is key not only to retention, but also to the continuity and quality of the public services residents rely on every day.

Over the past year, our focus has been on achieving a balanced project budget – the most challenging hurdle for large-scale affordable housing developments. We have finally achieved this, largely thanks to the extraordinary commitment of partners at every level.

The Marin Community Foundation provided an initial $700,000 grant and a $7 million low-interest loan; our local schools have stepped up to provide critical support; and this past September, state Sen. Mike McGuire secured a critical $7.5 million in state funding to close the gap. McGuire has personally championed the project from its start in 2020, when he secured the state surplus land for its development.

Without this alignment of leadership and mission, a project with this level of affordability would not be possible in Marin.

County officials took a deep dive into the financing plan and worked with experts to reduce risk and strengthen reserves. The result is a fiscally responsible and transparent framework. At the upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, the group will consider serving as the “umbrella” guarantor, a step that builds on school district commitments and does not require upfront costs from local education budgets. The umbrella role helps to secure a bond rating that allows the project to move forward and positions the project for long-term stability.

Some have expressed concern that the schools would be at risk if they could not fill their dedicated units. To address this concern, the updated financing plan now includes a significant safeguard for the schools. Because county officials anticipate strong demand for these units, it has proposed giving school districts an option to permanently transfer up to 36 units and the associated guarantor responsibilities to the county if needed. This built-in flexibility adds another layer of protection for schools.

This project represents something rare and valuable in public life: a sustained, cross-sector collaboration with a clear, shared goal. From the state to county leadership, to the Marin County Office of Education, Novato Unified School District, San Rafael City Schools and the College of Marin, every partner has brought time, resources and care to the table.

The level of coordination required to reach this point reflects years of problem-solving, listening and compromise — exactly the kind of governance residents expect when tackling complex regional issues.

We now have a plan that is fully aligned with Marin’s values and fiscal realities, and it’s ready to go. The Oak Hill project is not only about housing; it is about strengthening the public institutions that make our communities work. When educators and service providers can live near where they work, everyone benefits.

As the Board of Supervisors considers this next step, we encourage the community to support this transformational project. Let’s show that when public institutions lead with unity, purpose, and pragmatism, real solutions are within reach.

Marin Supervisor Dennis Rodoni is chair of the Marin County Public Financing Authority. John Carroll is Marin County superintendent of schools.