It has been over a year since the Tiburon Open Space committee (TOS) provided an update on efforts to preserve the Martha Property from development. The last official activity occurred in March 2014 when the Marin County Board of Supervisors refused to certify the Easton Point Environmental Impact Report. There has been no significant news since then, however we believe the developers are actively working to address the Supervisors’ concerns.
The Tiburon Open Space Committee continues to actively monitor Martha Property development. Our mission is:
1. To inspire and lead our community in purchasing the Martha Property to preserve it as public open space.
2. To advocate for Old St. Hilary’s Open Space (OSHOS)—the 122-acres saved from development in the 1990s—next door to and inextricably linked with the Martha Property. Development on the 110-acre Martha Property will profoundly impact the views, ecosystem and public enjoyment of OSHOS. TOS intends to identify and advocate against negative impacts on this treasured land.
3. To identify and fully understand the issues raised by the Easton Point subdivision proposed on the Martha Property. To assign full responsibility for mitigation to the developers rather than passed off to the Town of Tiburon.
The proposal to build 43 very large houses on the Martha Property will produce major impacts in Tiburon. They include traffic, noise, eco-system disruption, water pressure, endangered plants and animals and above all, safety. Safety of roads and hillsides prone to landslides, safety of workers, pedestrians and bicyclists, safety of evacuation plans for civilians and access for first-responders during emergencies. Perhaps the most significant safety issue relates to fire safety.
The developer needs to build a large water tank to serve the subdivision. It is needed for home water use but also very importantly for fighting fires, as the Oakland Hills fire has taught us. However, Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) has strict rules on water tank placement. To date MMWD has rejected the applicant’s proposed site as being a liability risk (too high up on a large retaining wall), plus it is a dramatic visible scar to the immediately adjacent Old St Hilary’s Open Space. A proper placement may result in fewer houses on the ridgeline. TOS is closely monitoring this issue.