Strawberry's Seminary project approved: what it means for Mill Valley

Good morning and happy Dipsea Sunday! If you had a child graduating elementary, middle or even high school this week, take a bow and mark the moment. Maybe with a visit to America’s second oldest foot race. I’ll see you there.

☀️ Today's weather: High near 74, sunny through the race and into the afternoon, with a light southwest breeze picking up by mid-morning. Overnight, partly cloudy and mild, dropping to around 55. (Source: National Weather Service)

☀️ Weather outlook: A warm, dry week ahead. Highs stay in the mid-70s through Wednesday before easing into the upper 60s by Thursday. Lows hold steady in the mid-50s all week. (Source: National Weather Service)

Today's newsletter: What the Strawberry Seminary housing vote means for Mill Valley, 121 years of Dipsea history, and a father-son hike on the Tennessee Valley Trail.

- Written and edited by Franz Strasser-Galvis (who I am and why I’m doing this)

What's happening: The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve 337 housing units on the former Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary campus in Strawberry, the largest private development in unincorporated Marin in years, according to county staff.

The context: In 2014, a Texas-based land trust purchased a shuttered seminary on a hillside above Richardson Bay. A year later, it submitted plans to redevelop it. North Coast Land Holdings, owned by the Fasken Trust, bought the 127-acre property in after the institution relocated to Southern California, according to county planning records. More than a decade of public hearings, environmental review, and community organizing followed.

The Seminary Neighborhood Association laid out its position early. It supported affordable housing, a senior care facility and walkable open space. It did not support a large commuter school or market-rate density that would strain the peninsula's road network, according to materials published by the association. Its early materials told residents that "the law and the facts are on our side."

Why this matters: In 2017, following Board of Supervisors encouragement, North Coast convened a community working group. Over 18 months and 50 meetings, Strawberry residents and the developer negotiated a consensus proposal of 234 units, according to the county's staff report. The community called it Seminary Tomorrow. North Coast submitted 337 units, more than 100 more than what residents had agreed to.

By the time the application moved forward, the legal landscape had changed. Between 2017 and 2020, California passed a series of state housing laws that limited local governments' discretion to reduce the density of housing projects that include affordable units, according to the county's staff report. The county's staff concluded it could not legally require North Coast to build fewer units, according to the same report.

The new reality: At a Planning Commission hearing in March, North Coast's attorney Andrew Giacomini said that if the supervisors denied the project, the developer could qualify for a project of up to 606 units, exempt from environmental review. "That's what state laws allow us to have now," Giacomini said. Supervisor Brian Colbert acknowledged the constraint before the vote. "We must evaluate the proposal within the realities of California housing law," he said. "The proposal before us contains 337 units, reflecting years of compromise and public process. State law could have allowed a substantially larger project."

The county's environmental review found the approved project would generate significant and unavoidable impacts on vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, and construction noise. The board approved it and in its formal approval record, it cited housing supply, affordable units and regional compliance as offsetting benefits.

The neighborhood association settled in March, securing a student enrollment cap, building height limits, and a 15-year ceiling on traffic trip increases, according to the settlement agreement. Association president Michael Gallagher called it a victory. He was also candid about what changed. "When these laws started to bite," he told the Marin Independent Journal, "I thought, 'Oh, this is not good for us. Sacramento is putting a big thumb on the scale.'"

What it means for Mill Valley: What Tuesday's vote means for Mill Valley is not settled. Under California state law, those same statutes apply to every jurisdiction in the state, but the parallels have limits.

Stephen Burke, a Mill Valley city councilmember and former mayor, said the Seminary project's scale sets it apart from what Mill Valley is likely to face. "The Seminary project is a bit of a 'White Swan' event that on one level bears little to no relation to what local jurisdictions face," Burke told the Briefing, citing the property's size, location, prior use, and the developer's resources.

He added that the underlying legal reality is shared. "It reflects the reality that all jurisdictions face as California tries to address chronic housing shortages through state-level laws, regulations, mandates, and potential penalties. We fully understand that reality, which in our case is primarily related to smaller infill projects, not massive green field projects."

Mill Valley has permitted just 82 of its 865 state-mandated units since the current cycle began, according to the city's Annual Housing Report presented to City Council in April. Under the same state laws that constrained Marin County in Strawberry, the city's ability to negotiate down the size of a qualifying affordable project is limited.

Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, who represents southern Marin and attended Seminary Tomorrow meetings as a Mill Valley council member before her election to the board, said at Tuesday's hearing before casting her vote that the Seminary project arrives at a moment of legal transition. "We are at a confluence of old rules and new rules," she said. "Sometimes it still produces unintended outcomes when it comes to housing."

Dick Spotswood, a former Mill Valley mayor and Marin Independent Journal politics columnist, said communities in that position should focus their efforts. "The community needs to determine their top concern," Spotswood told the Briefing. "Don't contest every aspect of the plan. If the major complaint is potential traffic impacts, then concentrate on that. Propose trade-offs and devise practical on-the-ground alternatives with the assistance of the county's planners."

The race that starts in Lytton Square and ends at Stinson Beach was born over lunch.

In 1904, a small group of hikers from San Francisco's Olympic Club wandered through the Marin meadows past Mount Tamalpais and found a lonely stretch of beach marked by a weathered building called the Dipsea Inn. Over food and drink, two of them, Charlie Boas and Al Coney, argued about who could run the route faster. They organized themselves into a hiking club, the Dipsea Indians, staged the bet as a race, and Boas won. Then they decided to make it annual and open it to everyone.

Seventy-one runners finished the first Dipsea on November 19, 1905, according to race historian Barry Spitz. Organizers had expected 40 or 50. The course ran all the way to the water through soft sand, which proved the race's one early problem. For the participants' sake, organizers shortened the finish to a hardpack area known as Willow Camp. In 1916, according to Marin Magazine, Willow Camp was renamed Stinson Beach after local landowners Rose and Nathan Stinson.

The race 50 years ago, in 1976, nearly ended itself. Taking place in late August, the 66th running drew 1,891 finishers, the largest field in race history at the time, according to the Mill Valley Record. Heat and choking dust kept the Marin Emergency Disaster First Aid Corps busy all morning. By noon, 30 runners had checked into the Red Cross first aid station. Three others had been carried off the course on stretchers.

Homer Latimer, 37, a stocky, bearded junior college track coach appointed head coach at Gavilan Junior College in Gilroy the previous Friday, won in 50:03 with a five-minute handicap. He fell on Highway 1 while dodging a car in the final stretch and crossed the line with blood streaming from a cut above his right eye. He beat second-place John Finch by 21 seconds. "I thought for a moment it might cost me the win," Latimer told the Record after the race. "But I had a feeling before the race I'd win this year."

Behind the leaders, the field had ground to a halt. More than 500 runners were backed up 200 yards from the finish line and out onto Highway 1. When the 1,500 survivor's medals ran out, tempers flared. "I couldn't even run in some spots," one runner told the paper. "I had to jog in place." Harold Graves of the Mill Valley Jaycees race committee acknowledged the delays were "unprecedented."

County Supervisor Gary Giacomini was blunter. According to Spitz, he warned that "there will never be another Dipsea if the numbers are not worked out." Race officials responded by setting the first official route restrictions in 1977, ending more than seven decades of history as a completely open course. Entries were capped. The finish line moved to its present location near the south Stinson Beach parking lot, where it remains today.

Today’s race starts at 8am sharp from downtown Mill Valley with the Invitational age groups of boys age 6, men age 74 and older, girls age 6-7 and women age 66 and over. The last wave of runners leaves Lytton Square at 8:52am.

Sources: Barry Spitz, "The Dipsea Race" (Potrero Meadow Publishing); Mill Valley Record, September 1, 1976; Marin Magazine, July 21, 2017; historical program materials and display boards photographed at the 115th Dipsea Race, Mill Valley, June 12, 2026.

In honor of today’s race, we built a tool to explain the Dipsea handicap system: find your wave, see who you'd start alongside, and explore two decades of verified results.

Sean Kievman has hiked Mill Valley's trails since he moved here in 2019. A photographer and widowed father of two, he usually hikes alone to clear his head. His trail of choice is Tennessee Valley Trail. Last Sunday he brought his son.

His son surprised him. He started talking on the trail. Really talking. Questions about things, about life. Then, at the steepest section, he stopped. "My son started taking panoramic pictures with his iPhone," Kievman said. "He did a really good job at it, better than me, and I'm a photographer and cameraman."

Tennessee Valley Trail runs roughly 3.5 miles out and back from the trailhead off Tennessee Valley Road down to Tennessee Cove, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The trail drops 183 feet to the cove. Most hikers complete the out-and-back in 1 to 1.5 hours.

At low tide, particularly in winter, parts of the engine from the SS Tennessee are visible on the south end of the beach. The paddle-wheeled steamship ran aground here on March 6, 1853, carrying 550 passengers, all of whom made it safely ashore. The wreck is on the National Register of Historic Places. Check tide tables before you go.

For newcomers, Kievman suggests four starting points for hikes around the area: the peak of Mount Tamalpais; Cascade Falls; Old Mill Park and the Dipsea Stairs; and of course Tennessee Valley at low tide. "Life is a trail," he said. "Enjoy every path you take."

Photo credit: Sean Kievman

Tue, Jun 16 – Dead At The Junction, The Junction Beergarden, 6pm. Deadheads, rejoice! The beloved free, monthly outdoor Grateful Dead-inspired concert series returns to the valley at 226 Shoreline Hwy. This all-ages jam features host Alex Jordan alongside special guests Zach Jones, Mookie Siegel, Roger Sideman, and Anna Elva. Free entry; all ages welcome.

Tue, Jun 16 – Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8-10pm. Throckmorton’s acclaimed weekly comedy night brings a theater-style stage and an intimate club atmosphere to 142 Throckmorton Ave. Tonight’s laugh-out-loud lineup features fresh rising talent alongside top-tier veteran comics Kevin Camia, Tony Camin, Frida Sierra, and Roman Spinale, with Mean Dave serving as the evening's host. Doors open at 7:30pm.

Thu, Jun 18 – Trivia Night, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Co-hosts Lynne and Simon "The Brit" lead a popular night of quiz show fun and playful group therapy on the plaza. Picture trivia, wild categories, and bragging rights await those who know a little too much about obscure topics.

Thu, Jun 18 – Israel Vibration & Roots Radics with Reggae Angels, Sweetwater, 8pm. A massive night of authentic roots reggae hits the historic stage. Catch legendary vocal harmony group Israel Vibration backed by the powerhouse Roots Radics, with support from the Reggae Angels. All ages; doors open at 7pm.

Fri, Jun 19 – World Cup: USA vs Australia, 12pm. Various Mill Vally locations host watch parties for the USMNT’s second game of the tournament, including The Junction, Sweetwater, Playa and others.

Fri, Jun 19 – Creekside Fridays Summer Concert Series, Tam Valley Community Center, 5:30-8pm. The neighborhood summer tradition officially kicks off at 203 Marin Ave. Grab a spot on the grass, enjoy local food and beverages for sale, and catch a live outdoor performance by Pacific Standard. Free admission; volunteer shifts are open to help at the community bar.

Fri, Jun 19 – Musical Feast, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. An alt-country-folk-rock ensemble blending Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Springsteen, and Petty with guitars, flute, violin, and gorgeous vocal harmonies live on the plaza.

Fri, Jun 19 – Tom Finch & Fordyce, Tam Tavern, 6-9pm. Head over to Shoreline Hwy for cold beer, good food, and great company. Unwind in the beer garden or the taproom with a live set of local tunes to start your weekend right. Free entry.

Fri, Jun 19 – Corduroy – The Pearl Jam Experience with Pumpkin Heads, Sweetwater, 8pm. Get ready for a massive 1990s alternative rock throwback night. Corduroy brings a powerful, authentic live Pearl Jam performance to town, paired with Pumpkin Heads delivering a high-octane Smashing Pumpkins tribute. All ages; doors open at 7pm.

Sat, Jun 20 – The Anton Collection, Sweetwater, 8pm. Experience an immersive evening of rhythm-forward arrangements and expressive instrumental grooves as this versatile ensemble hits the historic main stage. All ages; doors open at 7pm. General admission tickets are $42.75 in advance.

Sun, Jun 21 – The Rock and Roll Playhouse: Music of Grateful Dead for Kids, Sweetwater, 11:30am. A special "Grateful Dads" Father's Day weekend bash designed for families! This unique concert series gets kids moving, dancing, and playing to the timeless music of the Dead in an open, family-friendly environment. All ages; doors open early at 11am.

Sun, Jun 21 – Josh Zee and Friends: Sunday Residency, Sweetwater, 6pm. Unwind from the holiday weekend with a stellar, free live musical showcase led by local favorite Josh Zee and special musical guests. Doors open at 5pm; free show admission.

🔍 Businesses and venues mentioned in this section are covered on editorial merit only. No business has paid for coverage. Promotional content is always labeled.

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- Franz

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