Marin Open Space Trust nears deal for San Anselmo tract

The Marin Open Space Trust is on the brink of acquiring 9.5 acres of undeveloped land in the northwest section of San Anselmo for preservation.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved the allocation of $100,000 in Measure A funds on Tuesday to help the trust raise the $500,000 needed to purchase the land.

“It’s been some work to make this project happen, but we’re now in the final stretch,” said Jonathan Braun, a board member for the trust and co-chair of the San Anselmo Open Space Committee.

The pending acquisition in Upper Hawthorne Canyon is contiguous with the 22-acre Hawthorne Canyon Open Space Preserve and the 13.6-acre Kite Hill open space, both of which are owned by San Anselmo.

“So now with this nine and a half acres complete,” Braun said, “there will be a 45-acre just-perfect open space preserve for the community.”

The property is covered by grasslands and oak woodlands. Two dirt roads descend through it connecting Oak Springs Drive to the lower preserve.

“It has been walked on by the residents of the area for quite some time,” Craig Richardson, a county parks department planner, told supervisors. “They’ve enjoyed the hiking and the vistas. There are some incredible views up there of White’s Hill, Mount Tamalpais and San Francisco Bay.”

Braun said neighbors and town residents raised the money to buy the 22 acres that became the Hawthorne Canyon Open Space Preserve in 1999. At the time, a developer was proposing to build a five-home subdivision there, and his plan was under review by the town.

“It was a real horse race,” Braun said. “But the neighborhood was fantastic. People pulled together and we raised $590,000.”

With the addition of the $100,000 from the county, the trust has raised about $400,000 for its latest acquisition, but to complete the project it needs another $231,500. In addition to the $500,000 it must pay for the land, the trust has another $125,000 in costs.

The trust has already entered into a memorandum of understanding with San Anselmo for it to take title of the property and maintain it. The trust has agreed to give the town $50,000 to help pay for the ongoing stewardship.

Braun said the trust also plans on reserving $50,000 for drainage and other infrastructure improvements on the property and has $25,000 in project costs to cover for such expenses as appraisals, geotechnical reports and fundraising.

The trust also hopes to protect an even bigger chunk of land by acquiring the 100-acre Wall property in Fairfax, which borders Upper Hawthorne Canyon.

The trust has an agreement with the property’s owner that gives it until April 22 to identify a long-term ownership entity and steward, carry out property due diligence and line up its acquisition funding.

Braun said that if the trust proceeds with that purchase it will once again be seeking Measure A funds to help it cover its costs.

Sixty-five percent of Measure A’s annual revenue of about $16 million is earmarked to maintain county parks and preserves. Of that 65%, 10% is mandated to be spent on natural land preservation grants.

The county awarded two such grants previously, both to the Marin Audubon Society. One grant, for $100,000, helped the organization purchase a 5.2-acre former tidal marsh property along the Corte Madera bayfront in 2015, and another grant for $28,500 assisted in the purchase of the Black Point Wetland in 2018.

Measure A, which levies a quarter-cent sales tax on Marin residents, was reauthorized by voters in June 2022. At that time, the amount of Measure A revenue devoted to natural lands preservation was reduced. Previously, 20% of the 65% reserved for maintaining county parks and preserves was earmarked for this purpose.

“That would not have been my choice,” Braun said. “The more resources we can have for acquiring and protecting open space the better.”

Max Korten, the director of the county parks department, said, “The new version of the grant program allows local cities, towns and nonprofits to request grants for more urban parks in addition to open spaces.”

Korten added that the revised version of Measure A also newly allows these funds to be used for restoration or other park or open space improvements.