In 2017, the Trust For Public Land (TPL) acquired 157-acres of land in the center of the San Geronimo Valley near the villages of Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls, and Lagunitas with the intention of transferring ownership to Marin County Parks and Open Space to create a new public land preserve. The property was acquired after an independent, expert financial analysis indicated the golf course was unlikely to survive at the location, so rapid action was needed to ensure the community could continue to benefit from the land and influence its future use.
The property was previously the San Geronimo Golf Course, an 18-hole public course that was originally constructed in 1965, intended for use as a private course in the hopes that the 1961 Marin County Wide Plan to construct 5,000 homes and support a population of 20,000 would be developed. In 1972, a new County Wide Plan was adopted that prevented massive urban development in San Geronimo Valley, preserving its mostly rural character. Ultimately, the golf course was unsuccessful in selling enough memberships to support the course and soon converted to a public course that remained the primary use of the property until it was listed for sale in 2017.
Following the County’s actions to authorize the purchase of the property from TPL, a golf advocacy group, the San Geronimo Advocates filed a lawsuit under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that delayed public planning efforts and eliminated the County’s ability to acquire grant funding for the purchase. Marin County Superior Court ordered Marin County to complete CEQA prior to authorizing the purchase of the property, ultimately, resulting in the Marin County Board of Supervisors reversing their resolution to purchase the property.