EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Trust for Public Land’s San Geronimo Commons property, nestled in the scenic San Geronimo Valley in west Marin County, spans the valley floor and connects to several public open space preserves. It serves as an informal greenbelt linking the rural communities of Woodacre, Forest Knolls, San Geronimo, and Lagunitas. San Geronimo Creek and Larsen Creek, key tributaries within the Lagunitas Creek Watershed, flow through the property and support one of the largest remaining populations in the state of endangered Central California Coast Coho Salmon and California freshwater shrimp, among other important aquatic species.

The property plays a critical role in ongoing and future restoration efforts for both endangered Coho Salmon and threatened Steelhead Trout populations. As the nexus between four existing public open space preserves – Roy’s Redwoods,

French Ranch, Maurice Thorner, and Gary Giacomini – the San Geronimo property provides rich opportunities for ecological restoration and conservation-compatible recreation, and serves as an invaluable crossroads for both wildlife and recreational trail use. Its proximity to open space areas and local schools and its gentle, walkable terrain allow Marin County residents and visitors of all ages and physical ability to access this beautiful natural setting.

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization founded in Marin County in 1972, purchased the 157-acre property in 2018 to protect its as natural open space character, facilitate critical habitat restoration work, connect adjacent open space lands, and create public access opportunities - with a goal of transferring the property to public park ownership. Past uses of the land have degraded many of the natural features and functions of the property. Meadows that were once a habitat mosaic of oak woodlands, expansive grasslands, and dense riparian forests, were converted to rangeland then golfing uses by previous owners. Natural creeks and drainages that supported salmonids and other species were encroached upon by these uses or forced to flow underground through culverts. The Trust for Public Land envisions a future that facilitates community-based efforts to conserve the San Geronimo Commons, restore its ecological health and resilient functions, support public access including multi-use trails and compatible recreational uses, and make space for a Marin County fire station and community-serving amenities in appropriate locations.

Guided by its commitment to community health and climate resilience, and with this broad vision in mind, The Trust for Public

Land commenced an extensive public engagement process in early 2019 to invite public input into a Vision Framework for the property. Through dozens of large and small engagements, TPL’s goals for this process included building support for conservation and habitat restoration efforts, seeking suggestions for conservation-compatible land uses, creating a re-use framework to guide future owners and managers of the land, and exploring long-term ownership options for the property. Throughout its ownership, The Trust for Public Land has made this privatelyowned land available to the public for passive recreational uses such as walking, hiking, riding and naturewatching, as well as for planning and implementation of habitat restoration projects in partnership with neighbors and other conservation organizations.

Project Team

The Trust for Public Land assembled a team of experts in the disciplines of community planning, landscape design, and environmental restoration and design. WRT, LLC an interdisciplinary firm with a national practice rooted in ecological values and community-based planning, led the community engagement process and preparation of a Vision

Framework to guide future use of the property. Trout Unlimited, a national non-profit organization, is The Trust for Public Land’s restoration partner on the San Geronimo project. Trout Unlimited will lead efforts to plan for and implement restoration projects on the property, consistent with its mission to conserve, protect and restore North America’s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds. ESA, an environmental consulting firm, has done extensive work with Trout Unlimited on preliminary restoration design and planning related to this Vision Framework.

Purpose Of The Vision Framework

The Vision Framework, also referred to as the Vision in this document, establishes a broad planning foundation to guide future uses of the San Geronimo Commons. The Vision sets forth the primary goals of habitat conservation and restoration, and creates opportunities to plan for and develop compatible public uses. Restoration planning by Trout Unlimited, The Trust for Public Land’s conservation partner, underpins the Vision. Community input and the project team’s technical analysis – to identify which uses best align with The Trust for Public Land’s organizational mission, values, and real-world constraints - further inform the Vision.

The Vision Framework is meant to direct and guide future land use actions. Conceptual site renderings included in the Vision are not design proposals; rather, they suggest possibilities for how future landowners and land managers may appropriately integrate access, circulation (i.e., trails and pathways), and community activities within the restoration context. Any such future uses would be planned, designed, and managed in conformance with protective covenants that will run with the land. In addition, future uses – a new fire station, for example - may be subject to local and County planning requirements, environmental review, public review and comment, and due diligence efforts. While the site renderings prioritize conservation goals and illustrate restoration potential, they also examine opportunities for creating memorable experiences and deeper connections with nature by identifying compatible movement patterns and community uses Each of the property’s three large parcels -the two meadow parcels and the clubhouse parcelpresent distinctive attributes that offer unique restoration and public access opportunities.

Overview Of The Community Engagement Process

In the spring of 2019, The Trust for Public Land convened a yearlong, facilitated community engagement process that invited the public to help reimagine the future of the 157-acre San Geronimo Commons property within the broad context of ecological restoration. From the outset, TPL envisioned creating a new community asset: a restored and resilient natural landscape that would contribute to the ecological health and functions of the Valley, including fire and climate resilience, and provide open space accessible to all. To achieve these goals, TPL invited robust public input with the following overarching objectives:

• Share The Trust for Public Land’s conservation and public access goals for the San Geronimo property,

• Provide science-based information and guidance regarding existing conditions and habitats, and the many restoration opportunities that exist for the property and surrounding areas,

• Engage in meaningful dialogue with the community regarding potential conservation-compatible future uses and outcomes for the property, and

• Develop a Vision Framework for the property that highlights conservation, restoration, and public access opportunities; incorporates and reflects public input in a meaningful way; and is valued by and beneficial to a broad cross section of the community.

The community engagement process focused on sharing information about the land and its sensitive ecology while exploring compatible community and public uses. This approach was reflected in the range of engagement activities listed below:

• Reimagine San Geronimo Website/ Email

• One-on-One and Small Group Stakeholder Meetings with The Trust for Public Land staff and project team

• Focus Group Meetings

• Stakeholder Group Site Tours (3)

• Community Open House

• Visioning Workshop

• Periodic Newsletters from The Trust for Public Land

• Ongoing Community Conversations with The Trust for Public Land

Three overarching planning objectives informed the community engagement process: Protect, Connect, and Restore are central themes that meet The Trust for Public Land’s organizational values and mission, and reflect important community goals shared in the preliminary stakeholder conversations. The project team considered all community recommendations regarding future uses in the context of their consistency with these three thematic and organizing goals.

Community Outreach Events

As specific categories of use emerged during the community engagement process, the team developed Site Planning Frameworks to organize these ideas and guide development of the Vision Framework.

1. Restoration and Ecological Management: Prioritizing restoration activities that enhance the property’s ecological health and functions, support the region’s biodiversity and climate resilience, and maximize opportunities to support broad efforts to restore the Bay Area’s last great Choho Salmon run in the greater Lagunitas Creek watershed.

2. Recreation: Continuing to provide and expand upon conservationcompatible recreational opportunities on the property, while supporting the health of its ecological resources.

3. Access & Connectivity: Ensuring safe recreational access for all and improved connectivity to adjacent public lands through a regional trail network.

4. Community: Supporting opportunities to create a social and community hub and related amenities in appropriate locations on the property, with a focus on public uses within and around the existing Clubhouse.

5. Fire Safety: Supporting fire-safety for the Valley by making space for a new Marin County fire station and ensuring that property uses are consistent with fire resilience and best practices for fire safety management.

6. Partnerships and Funding: Creating a vision that is financially feasible, creates opportunities for strategic partnerships, and advances conservation, land stewardship, and public access objectives.

In developing the Vision Framework, the team applied the Site Planning Frameworks to the entirety of the community feedback to identify desired uses for the property that align with The Trust for Public Land’s conservation and public access goals. The Vision distills this extensive feedback in the context of The Trust for Public Land’s mission, guiding principles, and practical considerations. These are foundational to the Vision Framework.

Community Outreach Events