Homeless Shelter – Letters to the Editor
November 11, 2025 - Eric Bobrow
Speak Up for Our Neighborhood —
Write to the Marin IJ Today
Our community is being left out of critical decisions about the future of our neighborhood. The proposed “tiny homes” project at 350 Merrydale Road was announced without real input from the people who live here — and now it’s up to us to make sure our voices are heard.
The Marin Independent Journal has already published several letters from neighbors who are calling for transparency, safety, and accountability. We have listed them below.
Let’s keep the momentum going. Write your own Letter to the Editor and share how this lack of inclusion by the City of San Rafael and County of Marin affects you, your family and the neighborhood.
Send your letter to opinion@marinij.com — together, we can make sure our community’s perspective can’t be ignored.
Tip: Keep your letter under 250 words, focus on one or two key points, and include your full name and city and phone number so it meets the IJ’s submission guidelines.
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Oct. 29, 2025
PUBLISHED: October 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM PDT
San Rafael community caught off guard by tiny homes plan
Along with many other residents of the San Rafael Meadows and Merrydale neighborhoods, I was stunned to learn, through a press conference on Oct. 15, that our city had selected 350 Merrydale Road for a 65-unit “tiny home” shelter village. Until that day, I knew of no one from the surrounding communities who had been informed, consulted or even notified that this property was under consideration.
I want to be clear, I am not opposing solutions for homelessness or affordable housing. I’ve lived in the San Rafael Meadows neighborhood for 27 years and I’ve always tried to stay involved in local politics. I served on the flood zone advisory board and advocated for the “Quiet Zone” along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line.
I know that our community values compassion, inclusion and smart planning. What I’m opposed to is the lack of transparency and the absence of public dialogue in how this project is being handled.
According to the IJ article (“San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless,” Oct. 17), the City Council will not consider the purchase agreement until Nov. 17, yet city and county officials (along with what appears to be the full force and presence of state officials) publicly announced the project on Oct. 15. I think they acted as if it were a done deal, a “fait accompli.” The article also notes a “tentative agreement” was reached in closed session on Oct. 2, but no public report was ever made.
Residents are now being invited to “provide feedback” only after the public rollout and long after key decisions appear to have been made behind closed doors. That’s not inclusion, it’s damage control.
As a part of the community, I am asking city officials to pause, disclose the timeline and approvals behind this project, and begin a genuine conversation with the people who live here. San Rafael deserves public processes that are open, honest and worthy of our trust.
— Ken Dickinson, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Oct. 31, 2025
PUBLISHED: October 30, 2025 at 12:58 PM PDT
San Rafael plan is a risky disruption for neighborhood
As long-time residents of San Rafael Meadows, we are writing to express our strong opposition to the proposed tiny-home project for the homeless, just 0.2 miles, or a six-minute walk, from our front door (“San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless,” Oct. 16).
My husband and I moved here over 30 years ago and raised our two sons in this safe, quiet, family-oriented neighborhood. We were shocked to learn city officials are considering placing a homeless housing site so close to an established residential area and longtime local businesses.
Equally troubling is the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. There was no proactive outreach or communication with nearby residents before this plan advanced. It feels as though the voices of those most affected have been ignored.
We also have serious concerns about public safety, sanitation and maintenance. Without clear plans for on-site management, security and ongoing upkeep, the risk of increased crime, litter and unsanitary conditions is real.
These are not hypothetical concerns — they could quickly diminish the quality of life we’ve worked hard to build and preserve.
We understand the need to address homelessness with compassion and effective solutions. But placing this project within steps of a stable neighborhood is not the right approach. Other sites are better suited for this type of housing, locations that wouldn’t place such a disproportionate burden on families and long-standing residents.
We urge Mayor Kate Colin and other city representatives to reconsider this location, engage openly with the community and explore alternatives that meet the needs of the unhoused while protecting the character and safety of neighborhoods like San Rafael Meadows.
—Betty Shea and Ed Shea, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 1, 2025
PUBLISHED: October 31, 2025 at 12:58 PM PDT
San Rafael officials picked wrong place for tiny homes
I was disappointed to read about apparent closed meetings and secret negotiations in regard to the decision by San Rafael officials to build tiny homes for the unhoused at 350 Merrydale Road (“San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless,” Oct. 16).
It feels like Mayor Kate Colin and the San Rafael City Council are trying to sneak this through. That would be shameful.
Terra Linda is the wrong place to build what I consider to be just another encampment with many of the same issues.
— Craig A. Nelson, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 2, 2025
PUBLISHED: November 1, 2025 at 12:56 PM PDT
Neighbors need time to discuss plan with city
I am writing in response to the article published Oct. 16 with the headline “San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless.” The plan appears to call for lockable cabins to provide shelter for those interested residents currently residing in the sanctioned Mahon Creek encampment. The tiny homes are planned for 350 Merrydale Road.
On the surface, any program for the homeless that provides housing, even temporarily, is a step above the usual and should be applauded. However, this project is not without issues and detractors. The local neighborhood where this project is slated is represented by the Rafael Meadows homeowner’s association, of which I am a member. Most of us were blindsided by the news of this project. By Oct. 20, our HOA had mobilized, holding a well-attended meeting at the local pizzeria.
By the next evening at the scheduled San Rafael City Council meeting, about 12 of my neighbors got up to comment on the issue. They were all vehemently against the project. Problems cited included the site being close to where children play and close to daycare centers. There are concerns about sanitation, as well as worries about issues related to drug usage and mental illness.
I think this blindsiding was deliberate. It seems to be an attempt to ram the project through before local residents have a chance to organize and explain their opposition.
I feel the time frame for this project needs to be delayed so that both sides can more fully explore and explain their positions to each other. Who knows? Maybe we can come up with a plan both sides can agree on.
— Bernie Samet, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 5, 2025
Letters to the editor
PUBLISHED: November 4, 2025 at 12:58 PM PST
San Rafael should open a hotel to homeless right now
I am writing in response to the article published Oct. 16 with the headline “San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless.” I think city officials should look into the feasibility of contracting with a local hotel in the Northgate area to house homeless people. City officials should then proceed to find a nonprofit builder for the permanent buildings on the 350 Merrydale Road property.
The money earmarked for the purchase of the 64 temporary tiny homes and the estimated $2 million annual maintenance thereof could be better used for sheltering people in rooms that have private bathrooms, coffee makers and mini fridges for food storage. Additionally, something located within walking or biking distance of the Northgate mall could provide services and a variety of work possibilities.
— Roxanna Atkins, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 9, 2025
PUBLISHED: November 8, 2025 at 12:56 PM PST
San Rafael’s process feels authoritarian, dismissive
I’m deeply frustrated with how San Rafael officials — especially the mayor and council members — have handled the new proposed “tiny homes” project in my Terra Linda neighborhood (“San Rafael, Marin County to provide small dwellings for homeless,” Oct. 16).
Residents here were completely blindsided. It appears that this decision was made behind closed doors before the people most affected were ever informed or invited to be part of the process. I think the way it was announced through a media event felt more like an executive order than local government. I consider it authoritarian and dismissive of residents’ voices.
All I’m asking for is transparency, honesty and genuine community involvement. Marin residents have already made it clear they oppose this kind of top-down leadership — just look at the “No Kings” rally and the calls for accountable government. In this case, it feels like San Rafael officials need a reminder.
— Frank Mason, San Rafael
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Nov. 11, 2025
PUBLISHED: November 10, 2025 at 12:57 PM PST
Transparency should be essential part of strategy
The recent article about Marin County’s homelessness funding crisis (“Marin officials reassess homelessness strategy in face of obstacles,” Nov. 2) reminds us that success in reducing homelessness is fragile without clear, inclusive planning and transparent decision-making.
Here in my San Rafael neighborhood, the ambitious plan at 350 Merrydale Road seems to tick many of the boxes — interim cabins, support services and long-term housing — yet the rollout has left many neighbors with the sense of being an afterthought. When major decisions about land acquisition and site operations ($7.3 million, plus about $2 million annually) are made and announced with only a month or less of visible public input, it raises the question: Is this being done for the community or to the community?
Homelessness is too serious to be treated as a political hot potato — but when decisions are made under time pressure, with closed negotiations and limited early community involvement, that’s exactly how it looks.
If San Rafael and Marin County officials truly want to build public trust, they should pause, share all the financial and operational details, invite wide input and measure results publicly — not just after the fact. Transparency isn’t optional: it’s essential for effective, sustainable and widely supported solutions.
— Janet Shirley, San Rafael
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