Marin Voice: Today’s more complicated community can still flourish

I grew up in San Rafael in the 1970s. The kids I played with at school were the children of teachers, firefighters, small business owners and plumbers who also lived in our neighborhoods. I loved my childhood in Marin – our local community was close knit, neighbors looked out for each other and most people lived and worked in the county.

Today, we are faced with a more complex, diverse community landscape. While challenges like housing affordability, climate change, homelessness and traffic weigh heavily on our minds, I see a vibrant future for Marin. That future can be achieved by creating solutions through the lens of the community we want to be. With the right leadership, our community can flourish beyond what I cherished in my childhood.

Here are four elements of a roadmap that will make our community stronger and address our changing environment:

First, we need to pursue sensible affordable housing options, particularly for our workforce and seniors, that reflect our values here in Marin. Housing is the No. 1 priority for most residents according to a recently released Marin community survey.

The ability to have our teachers, caretakers, health care workers and firefighters live in our county has numerous benefits, including making it easier to recruit and retain a high quality workforce while generating more local tax revenue. An innovative model of this type of affordable workforce housing is the upcoming Oak Hill project near San Quentin, specifically designated for Marin educators and county employees.

By 2027, more people will be over 60 than under 30 in our county and it is essential we have inclusive housing options for seniors. The Tam Houses in San Anselmo represent one creative solution. These two lovely homes provide high quality, affordable housing for single seniors based on cooperative living, communal dinners, and all within walking distance of downtown San Anselmo.

Second, we need to build on our proud history of environmental stewardship in Marin. Nearly 84% of our land is protected from development, mostly as a result of the work of ordinary people coming together. We can keep Marin a beautiful, safe place to live while at the same time activating our community to address both climate change preparedness and transportation issues.

Third, engaging our rapidly diversifying community in an authentic way has never been more critical. The number of Latino, Asian, and Black residents in Marin has nearly tripled since the census in 2020. As a community, our responsibility is to be inclusive of all our members. This can be achieved by equitable Marin County commission representation, as well as supporting organizations like the Canal Alliance and Play Marin who help hundreds of diverse Marin families every year by creating ladders to success.

Fourth, the foundation of every community is built on trust, accountability and fiscal transparency. We need to do better as a county in being responsive to all of our community members. Initiatives like Project Homekey, the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard upgrade and Flood Control Zone 9 should be opportunities to gain alignment with our larger community and allow individuals to offer feedback and come up with innovative solutions.

As a former president of the Kentfield School District Board of Trustees during the pandemic, I led our engagement with parents, teachers and administrators; the Kentfield School District became a model for how schools could reopen safely and quickly while consistently maintaining a balanced budget.

Community engagement has never been more important in Marin. By tackling our issues as a community, we will be stronger for it.

Heather McPhail Sridharan is a candidate for District 2 seat on the Marin County Board of Supervisors on the March ballot. Learn more at heatherformarin.com.