Body of News Release
UPDATE 3/10/26: The Board held the hearing and adopted the resolution to initiate the study and fund the creation of standards.
Marin County, CA – As local jurisdictions consider approving housing and mixed-use developments, they also need to consider the future effects – impacts and costs – of those development projects on the rest of the neighborhood.
Since the most recent update of the County of Marin’s comprehensive planning document for housing in early 2023, the County has received an unprecedented number of multifamily development applications within unincorporated areas of the county, most of which involve subdivision applications. To date, developers filed nine applications totaling 466 homes, and the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) anticipates receiving more in the coming months.
Meanwhile, some fee structures tied to developments haven’t been updated in years. Over the next year, the County plans to study the best ways to determine for future development projects to pay their fair share for the off-site impacts those developments cause before the next influx of developments are submitted to CDA.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 10 and will consider adopting a resolution to initiate a development impact fee study and to fund creation of development standards. Creation of the first phase of standards will cost the County $360,000 and address streets in the unincorporated areas along the 101 corridor. Rural standards and other infrastructure would follow in the next phase of development standards. A separate request for proposals will be issued for a consultant to prepare the impact fee study.
This investigative phase of the impact fee study will consider how a proposed housing development would affect County-provided infrastructure and services – emergency responses, local roads, parks and open spaces, bike-pedestrian pathways, stormwater systems, utilities, and even law enforcement needs. The study will also consider how fees that cover the costs might affect housing construction. By 2027, the selected consultants will help figure out new fee structures that would encourage much-needed housing production but simultaneously help cover costs of offsite development infrastructure and public facilities that are needed to support a private development like a new subdivision.
Due to the rush on housing development applications, the County expects a significant increase in use of local public works infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and public services. Once a development is completed, those public works impacts tend to extend beyond the boundaries of individual project and may prompt physical upgrades to existing systems to accommodate the new demands. Offsite improvements must be completed in accordance with the County's offsite development standards and regulations.
Although the County maintains a master schedule of fees that covers various service fees for revenue and cost recovery, those fees do not address offsite impacts of new developments – especially for public works infrastructure improvements. The service fees are designed to cover the time staff spent reviewing development applications and are calculated on an hourly basis. The fees must be paid in full at the time of submitting the development applications to the County.
In contrast, development impact fees are usually collected before the issuance of a building permit or certificate of occupancy. The County’s existing development impact fees were proposed and Board-adopted years ago, before the current level of development was envisioned, and do not consider offsite improvements.
Offsite development standards ensure that proposed developments align with community goals, environmental sustainability, and regulatory requirements. By establishing clear guidelines, the standards help to maintain the character of the surrounding area, promote safety, and enhance public infrastructure. They are considered essential for fostering collaboration among diverse groups to create sustainable and thriving communities.
County staff expects to return to the Board of Supervisors for the formal adoption of the offsite objective design and development standards in late summer or early fall 2026. The first phase will be focused on roadway standards, and other phases will follow.