Celebration marks a new beginning for West Marin families and the expansion of much-needed affordable homeownership in the region 

The California Coastal Commission has rejected a challenge against temporary housing for about 60 people living on a Bolinas ranch.

Growing Together: Advancing Housing Solutions for Workers in West Marin is the culmination of in-depth interviews, surveys, community listening sessions, and other statistical research conducted over a 12-month period, beginning in 2023.  The study sheds light on the web of issues facing West Marin's workforce housing landscape.

Since last October, roughly 60 people, including 18 children, have lived in the RV park on the Tacherra Ranch, a working family farm on Mesa Road that has provided meat, vegetables and eggs to the Bolinas community for over 100 years. Mostly laborers — on ranches, restaurants, construction sites, landscaping crews — they make up just 4% of the town’s population, but their children account for nearly 20% of the tiny K-8 Bolinas-Stinson Union School District.

“After serving for almost 7 years on the BCLT Board of Directors, Karen Dibblee is stepping down from her role to take some time for herself and enjoy family and friends. Karen has volunteered countless hours supporting our mission and led the organization as board president for the last 4 years during a period of rapid growth.

As it advances plans to provide affordable housing at the former Coast Guard property in Point Reyes Station, the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin has hired a new executive director to take the reins.

County managers are recommending that supervisors spend $500K of the $21M budget for new, one-time projects to address substandard rural housing.

We recently said goodbye to our cherished former Community Organizer, José Leyva, as he heads to Mexico City to continue his studies.

Join us for a BCLT Community Update! This event will take place on March 26th at 100 Mesa Road. We will provide updates on all of our current projects, as well as feature speakers Supervisor Dennis Rodoni and Angelica Resendez from Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco.

The Bolinas Community Land Trust has reached a deal to purchase the Tacherra ranch, where it plans to replace 23 condemned structures with new farmworker housing. The trust and the receiver in charge of the property expect to sign a purchase-and-sale agreement within days.

We are delighted to share that the emergency RV campground has a new name. Residents have named their home Bo-Linda Vista, “Linda” meaning beautiful. We know there is a lot of interest in the campground, and residents would like to ask for neighbors and strangers to respect their privacy as they continue to settle in. Families recently gathered to create signs to help clarify the private property boundaries. 

Assemblymember Damon Connolly introduced Assembly Bill 2897, designed to promote the expansion of community land trusts (CLTs) in California. The bill seeks to clarify the legal definition of CLTs and address their tax status, ensuring that they qualify for state programs like the foreclosure intervention housing preservation program.

Habitat for Humanity will develop the eight-unit affordable housing complex planned for downtown Bolinas, marking its largest collaboration yet with the Bolinas Community Land Trust. The project marks a strategic shift for the land trust, which had originally planned to develop the project on its own.

"In a departure from the ‘Housing First’ model, steps are underway to provide emergency housing for farmworkers in Bolinas. An imaginative approach and speedy action on the part of the nonprofit Bolinas Community Land Trust resulted in a first-rate temporary solution that is already up and running."