Marin County aims to buy office building for $8.4M

Marin County supervisors have stated their intent to purchase a building at 30 N. San Pedro Road in San Rafael to get more office space across the street from the Civic Center.

If the county follows through with the purchase, it will pay $8.4 million for the building, according to a resolution approved by supervisors last month.

The statement of intent, which is required under state law, does not bind the county to the purchase. The supervisors are expected to consider ratifying a purchase and sale agreement at their Aug. 26 meeting.

“The building at 30 North San Pedro offers a rare opportunity to expand the county’s footprint directly across from the Civic Center, enabling better integration, efficiency, and accessibility for county departments,” Assistant County Executive Daniel Eilerman wrote in an email on Monday.

The county already owns two adjacent buildings at 10 N. San Pedro Road and 20 N. San Pedro Road. The buildings are used by the Marin County Health and Human Services Department. The Marin County Law Library is at 20 N. San Pedro Road as well.

“With existing county buildings at capacity and departments evolving with increasing service needs, this purchase helps alleviate space pressure and supports organizational effectiveness, ” Eilerman said. “Relocating departments into a space that’s walkable from the Civic Center supports improved collaboration and communication.”

In May, supervisors approved a proposal by County Executive Derek Johnson to add 17 new employees to his staff.

In March, the administrative staff of Marin County Parks was relocated from offices in the Civic Center to a building the county owns at 1600 Los Gamos Drive. Chris Chamberlain, the parks director, said former county administrator Matthew Hymel discussed moving the parks employees to 1600 Los Gamos Drive two years ago.

“The spatial constraints at the Civic Center are definitely not new,” Chamberlain said.

The 24,500-square-foot building at 30 North San Pedro Road was built in 1972. In May, supervisors approved a $65,000 contract with the Cumming Group to estimate costs related to the potential purchase. The assessment identified approximately $325,000 worth of work needed to meet accessibility and operations standards.

The owner of the property, Pacific Bay Ventures Limited Liability Corp., purchased the building for about $6.33 million in 2022. That was below the asking price of $7 million.

The county entered into an option agreement with Pacific Bay Ventures to purchase the building in April. A report to supervisors at that time said the building was 25% vacant. The report said the high vacancy rate would allow the county to move staff from the Civic Center quickly.

“As current tenant leases expire, county departments could move into them with minor modifications and staff could walk to the Civic Center,” it said.

Eilerman said the county will honor the leases of the tenants, including any options.

“However, longer term, the plan is not to renew leases if there is not an option to renew,” he said.

Golden Gate Surgical, a medical device distributor, moved out of the building at the end of 2024, said Travis Guenther, a company executive. The company was leasing 1,870 square feet. Guenther said his office manager has visited the building since to check for mail and described it as a “ghost town.”

He said his company was eager to leave the building because it seemed to attract visitors who used drugs openly in the parking lot and sometimes the hallways. “It was not a good building, that’s for sure,” he said.

Offices once occupied by Zero Breast Cancer are empty. Russell Marne, a lawyer who occupies a 642-square-foot space, said his lease expires in two years and he intends to retire. Marne said a suite near his office has been vacant for “a couple of years.”

Ritter Center, a nonprofit serving the homeless in San Rafael, occupies a space in the building formerly used by Legal Aid of Marin.

Mark Shotwell, Ritter Center’s chief executive, said, “Our lease gets us through the time we need before occupying our new building by July 31, 2026.”

Other tenants said they hope to stay on.

“I’m hoping they would at least renew our contract,” said Elesja Callaghan, chief executive officer of the Marin County Federal Credit Union. “We’ve never been officially told that the county is buying the building.”

The credit union’s lease expires in 2029.

Other tenants include Amrita Eating Disorder Treatment, the Wellspring Psychotherapy Center and Mountain Top Construction.

The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services leases 1,710 square feet on the building’s first floor and recently moved out of a 2,079-square-foot space on the second floor.