Marin housing complex edges toward construction phase

Marin officials have taken a key step toward building a public-sector workforce housing complex near San Quentin prison.

The Marin County Public Financing Authority sent out a “request for qualifications” this month for construction management companies for the 135-apartment Oak Hill project. The financing agency was formed by the Marin County Office of Education and the county government.

About 100 of the apartments will be earmarked for educators and the rest for county employees, said John Carroll, Marin’s superintendent of schools. The complex will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for households between 50% and 120% of the area’s median income, Carroll said.

The project also will include amenities such as a fitness center, a community room, a children’s play structure, and an outdoor courtyard and areas for seating.

“Once complete, this development will create opportunities for teachers, school staff, and other essential workers to live close to their jobs,” Carroll said. “That will reduce the strain of long commutes, improve teacher retention and recruitment rates, and promote better work-life balance.”

The request for qualifications aims to prequalify firms to supervise and implement the project construction. The developer is Education Housing Partners, an entity formed in 2004 by Thompson Dorfman Partners of Mill Valley.

“We are excited about this important next step in the development of the Oak Hill Apartments,” said Ken Lippi, senior deputy superintendent at the Marin County Office of Education. “Preparing for the construction phase takes us one step closer to breaking ground and building this much-needed affordable housing for public school employees and county staff.”

The request for qualifications announcement does not cover a separate but adjacent project with 115 apartments. That project, which will be developed by nonprofit affordable housing firm Eden Housing, will be for extremely low-income and low-income residents earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income.

“The RFQ currently underway is focused on the workforce housing component to create new homes for our teachers and other essential workers,” said Bruce Dorfman, chief executive of Education Housing Partners. “It was expanded to 135 units from 115 units several years ago due to the significant need in Marin.”

The entire village of 250 affordable apartments will rest on about 8 acres at the site of a former San Quentin State Prison gun range. It is near the Larkspur ferry terminal, a Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station, bus stops, bike trails, and other amenities.

The entire project, which began in the planning stages about four years ago, has been estimated to cost about $238 million.

The state has been handling extensive project reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act and other planning details. The state certified the final environmental impact report for the Oak Hill project in July 2023.

Responses to the request for qualifications are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 20. Once a list of pre-qualified firms is established, the authority expects to send out a request for proposals in March to finalize the construction manager selection and construction budget.