Big news for affordable housing in Marin County—after years of planning headaches and slowdowns, the Wharf Road homes project in Bolinas is finally moving forward. This $9.7 million development will give eight local families a shot at owning a home right in the center of Bolinas, which, let’s be honest, is a rare thing in one of Marin’s priciest beach towns.
What’s really interesting here? The project switched gears from its original rental plan to an ownership model. Now, residents can actually build equity and stick around for the long haul, which feels like a win for the community.
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A New Model for Affordable Housing in Coastal Marin
The Wharf Road project tries something different to tackle housing needs in West Marin. Instead of rentals, like you see in places from San Rafael to Mill Valley, these homes will be available for purchase.
Qualified buyers get a chance to buy with some pretty unusual financial help.
Zero-Percent Financing Creates Unprecedented Opportunity
Habitat for Humanity stepped in as the lender, offering zero-percent mortgages to those who qualify. In Marin County’s wild housing market, that’s basically unheard of—even people in places like Tiburon and Larkspur feel the squeeze.
If your family earns between 50-80% of Marin’s median income (so, around $87,000 to $140,000), this might be a once-in-a-lifetime shot at putting down roots in Bolinas. With prices rising everywhere from Novato to Sausalito, it’s hard to find chances like this anymore.
Strategic Location Enhances Community Integration
The Wharf Road homes sit right in the middle of Bolinas, making it easy for future residents to walk to town spots. It’s a lot like what you see in Fairfax or Point Reyes Station—walkable, friendly, and part of the neighborhood vibe.
This location choice shows a real effort to make sure the new housing actually fits in with the rest of the community.
Addressing Marin’s Ongoing Housing Crisis
Marin County really needs more affordable housing, whether you’re in Corte Madera or Inverness. Home prices just keep climbing faster than incomes, so projects like Wharf Road matter a lot.
Folks in places like Stinson Beach and Olema have seen the impact of too few affordable options:
A Triumph of Community Collaboration
The groundbreaking for the Wharf Road homes marks the end of a long journey filled with community planning and teamwork. Multiple organizations rolled up their sleeves and made this happen together.
It reminds me of those housing projects in San Anselmo and Woodacre. When people in a community pull together, they can actually get things done.
Getting to this point wasn’t easy. Like other development projects in Marin County—from Dillon Beach to Muir Beach—the Wharf Road homes ran into all the usual headaches: regulations, funding gaps, and a whole bunch of different opinions to juggle.
Still, the folks pushing for this didn’t give up. Once finished, these eight homes will offer permanent affordable housing in a place where that’s getting harder and harder to find.
For the families who’ll eventually move in, it’s more than just a place to live. It’s a shot at truly belonging to the Bolinas community, maybe for generations.
Here is the source article for this story: Wharf Road homes to break ground
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