Transportation Authority of Marin : B-1. Marin’s Community Structure

Marin’s unique community structure lends both challenges and opportunities to TOD/PeD in the county. Settlement patterns formed here because of the area’s topography and the constraints of rail transportation. Agriculture and a resource-based economy also influenced settlement during the early history of the county. Today’s blend of cities and towns, open spaces, neighborhoods, districts, and corridors is a direct result of these natural and historic influences.

The linear transportation system centered on the county’s rail lines catalyzed development of distinct towns spread along rail lines and roadways. This development pattern is seen today in the Highway 101 corridor from Sausalito to Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Rafael and Novato, and in the Sir Francis Drake corridor through Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax. Development patterns within the towns themselves reflect a clear relationship to the railroad as distribution hubs evolved into towns and cities. Supportive commercial uses and early neighborhoods developed within easy walking distance of rail stations to take advantage of resources brought by and to the train from surrounding rural areas. Today, many of Marin’s densest and most walkable neighborhoods and downtowns remain in these historic locations, as evidenced by the presence of an old station or the proximity of rail right-of-way.

After the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, transition to a more automobile-oriented culture and landscape occurred. Within two years, the Northwest Pacific Railroad and a number of the commuter ferries, which had previously carried many Marin residents to their jobs in San Francisco, were prepared to abandon service, as too many of their former customers now drove to work each day.1 As a result, subsequent development began to prioritize automobile convenience over pedestrian accessibility to train and ferry stations, resulting in development which was more single-use in nature, with residential districts largely separated from commercial uses, and commercial activity concentrated in large office and retail developments. Contrary to this development in Marin’s rail-based areas, such as the local-oriented downtown commercial and residential districts in Sausalito, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Novato, San Anselmo, Larkspur, and the more intensive downtown of San Rafael, a viable framework for increased TOD/PeD still exists in Marin.

Topographic constraints, early orientation around rail, and a strong emphasis on protecting natural resources and scenic settings, have resulted in only 11% of Marin’s land being developed. Approximately 84% of the county is protected open space, watersheds, tidelands, parks, and agricultural land. Most of the remaining 5% of potentially developable land is located within the boundaries of existing communities. The appropriate scale and geographic distribution of new land uses and major transportation infrastructure are key to protecting the county’s environmental assets while maintaining it’s economic vitality and social equity goals.

With 247,289 people in 100,650 households, Marin County is the second smallest of the nine Bay Area counties (ahead of only Napa). While 42 percent of the county population is concentrated in Novato and San Rafael, the remaining 58 percent is spread among Marin’s many smaller towns and communities, complicating planning for efficient transit service and transit-supportive land use patterns.

It is useful for the application of the Toolkit to consider the following place types of various scales, mix of uses, and intensities created by the combination of natural features and historic development patterns described above.

Centers

Centers are areas of similar or related uses, such as downtown main streets, shopping centers, civic centers, or employment centers. Centers often have a strong relationship to the county’s transportation network, so they are accessible to a broad cross section of the community. Centers often contain more active uses and will also define, or have an effect on, the character of neighborhoods around them. Centers can range in scale and intensity from urban downtowns to rural crossroads. Examples of centers in Marin County range from Downtown San Rafael to Point Reyes Station, from Downtown Mill Valley to the Corte Madera Town Center.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods are the major building blocks of communities. They consist mainly of a definable collection of residential uses, parks, schools, and small clusters of commercial uses. Neighborhoods tend to be the element of community structure with which we most directly identify. Neighborhoods often have names, neighborhood groups, and clear geographic boundaries associated with them. Neighborhoods can range in intensity from intense urban districts surrounding downtowns to rural housing clusters. Examples of neighborhoods in Marin County include Sleepy Hollow, Marin Village, Ignacio, and others.

Corridors

Corridors are defined by key arterial routes traveling between centers. Corridors often contain similar land uses and activities and are the primary transportation and transit routes in Marin County. Due to the historic development patterns and natural features in Marin County, corridors have an especially prominent role in the specific transportation and land use issues facing the county. Corridors can act as seams that bring together the neighborhoods around them, but can also act as dividers that help to define edges and boundaries in the community. Corridors range in intensity from major urban arterials and primary trunk transit lines to rural highways flanked by farmland. Examples of corridors in Marin County range from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Highway 1, from 4th Street in San Rafael to Tiburon Boulevard.

Street Networks

Another critical element of a community’s structure is its overall street network as it provides access to virtually all land uses. As is typical for places with a varied topography such as Marin’s, the street network that accesses uses in confined valleys and on hillsides is branch-like and does not provide many interconnections between parallel routes. In addition, many residential subdivisions also lack interconnected streets in favor of cul-de-sacs and a street pattern that includes relatively few cross-streets.

Last updated: 6/30/2009 1:28:20 PM