Gregory Andrew
September 8, 2026
Mayor Kate Colin and San Rafael City Councilmember, and Ms. Lindsay Lara, City Clerk
City of San Rafael
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
Via email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Re: Comment on 9/8/2026 City Council Agenda; re: Councilmember Reports Dear Mayor Colin, Councilmembers Bushey, Hill, Llorens Gulati, and Kertz, and Ms. Lara I am writing to provide a public comment on Homeless Subcommittee meeting of August 20, 2026 and the 350 Merrydale Affordable Housing Project Subcommittee meeting, also of August 20, 2026.
The recent article in the Marin IJ: “Marin count shows homeless population edging up again,” describes how the point in time count revealed an increase in the number of homeless individuals in Marin County.
There was some good news, that the numbers of veterans and families experiencing homelessness had declined but overall homelessness has increased significantly. It is clear that the City’s and County’s efforts to address homelessness has not been achieving the results expected. With the City banning camping at specified locations and the Mahon Shelter site scheduled for closure, my question to you is where will the increased numbers of homeless go? The Interim Shelter at 350 Merrydale is only likely to draw others to camp around the site and so I once again ask that you pass a resolution to ban camping around Merrydale before an unsanctioned encampment becomes established that you then cannot remove.
At the August 20th 350 Merrydale Affordable Housing Project Subcommittee meeting, the only member of the public who spoke in favor of the Eden Housing proposal was Mr. Joe O’Hehir. Mr. O’Hehir is on the Board of Eden Housing and so it is obvious he would favor his own company. Councilmember Bushey also clearly favored Eden by stating that she wanted the most housing possible at 350 Merrydale – which was in line with the Eden Housing proposal. I have since learned that Councilmember Bushey and Mr.
O’Hehir may have a close relationship since both are Directors of the 501(c)(3) San Rafael Library Foundation. For me, this raises the prospect they have had opportunities for communication and I believe it creates at least the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. So, I am asking Councilmember Bushey to recuse herself from the vote on the developer selection for the 350 Merrydale Affordable Housing when that item comes before the City Council.
Since the August 20th meeting, it has been reported in the Marin IJ that the City has received four new development proposals, all of which will have at least some affordable housing and some will be almost exclusively affordable housing. This shows that the City does not need to stack and pack housing at 350 Merrydale. You can develop a 3-story, 80 unit project that satisfies your need and still fits in with the community around the site. Other projects in the City are coming forward to also help with the need.
Thank you,
Gregory Andrew