On March 30, 2025, the Marin IJ reported that the City of San Rafael is in private talks with the owner of 350 Merrydale Road.
"The property is south of the Northgate mall, and its eastern border abuts Highway 101. The neighborhood includes a mixture of houses, apartments and commercial properties, with a SMART train station and several bus stops nearby.
"The city has been looking for property to continue its efforts to find housing for homeless people.
"The city jointly applied with Marin County and the Bolinas Community Land Trust for $18 million from the state Encampment Resolution Funding Program. The funds were awarded last March, and San Rafael received nearly $6 million to address the camp along Mahon Creek.
“In addition to taking the steps to implementing the city’s camping regulations and sanctioned camping program, we are working to identify a location for the second phase of the Encampment Resolution Funding Program Grant,” the city’s website says. “This second phase will fund the creation of an interim shelter solution that may take the form of a tiny home village similar to what has been implemented in other jurisdictions.”
"City officials would not confirm whether the property is being considered for such use."
The original IJ article may be viewed online here.
A discussion on NextDoor may be found here.