larkspur farm 10_10

8/8/2019 Larkspur Farm 10_10

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LARKSPUR FARM

PREPARED BY:

KUTH | RANIERI ARCHITE

An opportunity to create an urban farm in downtown Larkspur

Seeking investors to share this vision and participate in the bidding process


2/18

LARKSPUR FARM

September 2010

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. - John Muir

Try to imagine an urban farm right in the heart of downtown Larkspur a farm that is supportedby the community and benefits Marin residents of all ages and backgrounds for generations tocome.

Its something that Ive imagined for almost 15 years as Ive driven, almost daily, by the aban-doned Niven Nursery on Doherty Drive adjacent to Redwood High School. Every time I drive bythis neglected property, I imagine a thriving farm with crops that are tended by people of all ageswho are working and learning together and connected to the earth.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I learned that a few weeks ago, all 16.8 acres of this unde-veloped land was put on the market - creating a rare opportunity to bring this vision to life.

Many people look at this land and see dirt thats ripe for development. In fact, the land has re-ceived most of the permitting for a 91-unit housing development (Master Plan included).

I have a vision thats a little bit different. My vision is to transform this property into somethingthat is more aligned with the values of the residents of Marin County and that strikes a balancebetween for-profit and non-profit interests. Specifically, I envision using a portion of the land tar-geted for development to create an urban farm dedicated to reconnecting people to food, the landand each other. While some of land would still be available for development, it would be balancedby a beautiful urban farm that would benefit the community in countless ways.

This urban farm would:

produce an abundance of local, organic food that is sold on-site, to nearby schools, restau-rants and CSAs, and donated to those in need within the community;

feature a Grange Hall with classrooms, a cafe, a demonstration kitchen, and a large openhall that would act as the nucleus for this growing and learning environment;

educate adults and children about sustainability, farm to table curriculum, water conserva-tion, hyponic growing and other environmental and agricultural practices;

create dozens of green jobs;

conserve this land for sustainable purposes and help Marin County produce more of its ownfood, thereby adding to community resilience; and

collaborate with other related organizations invested in sustainability, local organic farmingand education.

As a fellow resident of Marin County I hope you will consider helping to make this exciting visioncome alive - to create a lasting legacy that combines community, environment, education andsustainability.


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LARKSPUR FARM

Specifically, I am seeking investors to purchase this land that would be privately held, but used for

public good. I am looking for investors who are committed to sustainability, who want to be goodstewards of the land in Marin, and who are interested in making a positive impact on our beautifularea now and for future generations.

The great challenge we face is that TRI Commercial Real Estate will close the bidding for theproperty on September 30, 2010 just days away. So timing is critical.

If this vision speaks to your imagination, then please consider meeting with me to talk about howyour investment can help bring this idea of a thriving urban farm to life.

With high hopes,

Betsy DeRuffMarin County resident

(415) 309-5943P.O. 5128Larkpsur, CA 94977

[email protected]


4/18

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview

- Proposal Documents

- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy

- Precedent Projects

Contributors

LARKSPUR FARM

Building community by reconnecting people

to food, the land and each other.


5/18

Description of Site

The Niven Nursery site consists of 16.8 acres of undeveloped land and is located at 2 Ward

Street adjacent to downtown Larkspur, approximately 15 miles north of San Francisco.

Bordering the property to the south and east is Larkspur Creek. The property is also surrounded

by a shopping center to the west, Doherty Drive to the north, single-family residences to the south

and southwest and Redwood High School. There are two other schools within walking distance

to the site Tamiscal High School and Hall Middle School.

The property has not been maintained for many years and consists mainly of overgrown weeds

and many abandoned greenhouses. There is also an abandoned barn on the property.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Compelling photograph of site.

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


6/18

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


7/18

COMMUNITY EDUCATION CORRIDOR Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


8/18

existing barn building

existing greenhouses

view to Mt Tam

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


9/18

DEVELOPERS PLAN:THE ROSE GARDEN PROPOSAL

Developers Statement

The Rose Garden project would involve the construction of 85 dwelling units and six second

units. The housing mix includes six cottage-style homes, 29 single-family homes, and 50

senior units (42 multifamily units and eight cottage units). The overall proposed density for

the 16.8-acre property is 5.0 dwelling units per gross acre as allowed in the CLASP (Central

Larkspur Specific Plan) for Subarea 3. A land donation or dedication of 2.79 acres would be

used for a community facility or park site.

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


10/18

DEVELOPERS PLAN:THE ROSE GARDEN PROPOSAL

teaser page 1

teaser page 2

Call for Offers Date: September 21, 2010

GARY COHEN

Principal

Tel ^ 415.268.2259g c o h e n @ t r i c o mm e r c i a l . c o m

DRE: 00831936

ANTON QIU

Principal

Tel ^ 415.268.2223a q i u @ t r i c o mm e r c i a l . c o m

DRE: 00995312

For further inquiries or to schedule a tour,please contact sellers exclusive agents:

Tel^

415.268.2200

Fax ^ 415.268.2299

www.tricommercial.com

One California Street

Suite 200

San Francisco, CA. 94111

The information above was obtained fr om sources we deem reliable; however, no warranty or representatio n,expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.

NIVEN NURSERY SITE

2 WARD STREET, LARKSPUR, CA

RARE ENTITLED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PRIME SOUTHERNMARIN COUNTY, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

RARE ENTITLED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PRIME SOUTHERNMARIN COUNTY, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Project Highlights:16.8 acre entitled site adjacent to downtown Larkspur

Site is entitled for up to 91 residential units

Approved for 29-SFR, 42-multifamily, 14-cottages and 6-second units

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $1,100,836, and thereis a shortage of supply for new residential construction in SouthernMarin County

Larkspur is one of the most affluent areas in Northern California and isconsistently ranked as one of the best cities in California to live, forquality of life and favorable climate

Highly sought after school district ranked in top 10% of public schools inCalifornia

Within 2 miles of regional shopping centers with national and regionaltenants; and Marin General Hospital

15 miles North of San Francisco, Larkspur has one of the main Golden GateFerry Portals with direct service to downtown San Francisco (20 min.) and

AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants)

Tel^

415.268.2200

Fax^

415.268.2299

www.tricommercial.com

One California Street

Suite 200

San Francisco, CA. 941112 WARD STREET, LARKSPUR, CA

NIVEN NURSERY SITE

Subject Property

City Hall

Fire Department

P i p e r P a r k

DEMOGRAPHICS3 MilesPopulation: 84,546Average Household Income: $138,7215 MilesPopulation: 145,955Average Household Income: $139,918

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


11/18

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

DEVELOPERS PROPOSED MASTER PLAN(PENDING APPROVAL FROM THE CITY OF LARKSPUR)


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A NEW VISION:LARKSPUR FARM

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

image courtesy of Kuth Ranieri Architects

LARKSPUR FARM

Building community by reconnecting people

to food, the land and each other.


13/18

PROJECT PROPOSAL: SITE PLAN

The Niven Nursery Site, Re-imagined

The new proposal marks an adaptation of the proposed developers plan, retaining many parts

of the original development while setting aside parcels for the Community Grange Hall and the

agricultural fields. It leaves the senior housing and senior cottages untouched, and rearranges

the homes on the east side of the lot in order to make space for farmland.

Some of the single-family residences are removed from the original plan, and the cottages areshifted from their position on Doherty Drive to a newly-formed block in the center of the devel-

opment, where they are supplemented by four additional cottages. The cottages, which would

likely be used as starter homes by young families and farm affiliates, are positioned so that they

all face green space. This increase in the number of cottage homes - and the accompanying

increase in the number of young professionals - would be an asset both to Larkspur Farm and

to the Larkspur community.

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors


14/18

PROJECT PROPOSAL: PLAN Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

imageco

urtesyof

KuthRan

ieriArchit

ects


15/18

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

imagecou

rtesyofKuthRa

nieriArch

itects


16/18

In every walk with nature one receives far more than one seeks. - John Muir

Land conservation and philanthropy can be personified in the life and legacy of William Kent

(1864-1928), Marin County resident and California Congressman. Kent saw the land as a trea-

sure and together with his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, purchased 611 acres of one the last

remaining stands of coast redwoods along Redwood Creek north of San Francisco Bay. To pro-

tect this redwood grove from development, he donated 295 acres to the federal government.

President Theodore Roosevelt declared the area a national monument in 1908 and suggested

naming the monument after Kent. Kent demurred and suggested the grove be named Muir

Woods National Monument, after naturalist John Muir, an environmental pioneer who helped

develop the national park system. More than 100 years later, the wonders of this beautiful

monument are enjoyed year-round by locals and tourists from around the world who flock to

this jewel of Marin County.

Kent once said, I cannot refrain from faintly hoping and earnestly praying that San Francisco

may continue to be habitable, and if land owners are going to continue to reap profits out of the

sky, they may be compelled to divide with those whose feet cannot find room on the ground.

All these years later, Kents words continue to echo the values of conservation so strongly

reflected in Marin County.

Agriculture has also been an important part of Marin culture since the mid 19th century. The

Gold Rush of 1849 helped launch the dairy industry in California. In the 1850s, a San Francis-

co law firm owned most of the Point Reyes peninsula and established several very successful

tenant ranches. These types of dairy ranches, owned by absentee landowners, were also set

up in Sausalito and produced not only dairy products, but huge crops of fruit.

Ross Landing in Kentfield became one of the busiest shipping ports for all types of agricultural

products produced in Marin - potatoes, grains, clams, dairy products, wheat, barley, vegeta-

bles, salt, and hay.

By 1862, Marin provided a quarter of Californias butter and by 1868 boasted 4,000 acres of

potatoes, 11,000 acres of grass hay, 750 acres of beets and 4,360 apple trees. At one timeMarin County also had 875 acres of dry farmed artichoke fields, 2,000 acres of peas and a

flourishing cut flower industry.

Sources: UC Davis, Agriculture and Natural Resources webpage, Wikipedia, Biography of Wil-liam Kent by Elizabeth Thacher Kent 1950.

MARINS LEGACY OF CONSERVATION,PHILANTHROPY, AND AGRICULTURE

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

Between 1949 and 198

about 783,000 acres

or roughly one-quarte

of the Bay Areas farm

land, was lost. Sinc

1959 Marin has los32,000 acres of agricu

tural lands. Today, 27

ranches remain in Mari

County compared t

1,800 ranches in 194

(according to 1944 cen

sus figures).


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Jones Valley Urban FarmBirmingham, Alabama

http://jvuf.org/

Located on a 3.5-acre block in Birminghams South-

side neighborhood, the Jones Valley Urban Farm(JVUF) has emerged as the face of fresh food in

Birmingham.

The JVUF, which is a non-profit organization, sellsover $100,000 a year in produce and flowers. It

grows fresh food for 50 CSA members, 37 com-

munity gardens, 28 local restaurants, and pro-vides farm and food programming to 5,000 youth

and adults. Additionally, the JVUF has evolved to

become an informal community event space, fre-quently hosting weddings and harvest dinners.

Growing Power,Inc.Milwaukee, Wisconsinhttp://www.growingpower.org/

Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based organizationheaded by farmer-cum-innovator Will Allen, pro-

vides healthy food to 10,000 city residents through

an on-site retail market, in schools and local res-taurants, at farmers markets and in affordable mar-

ket baskets delivered to neighborhood distribution

centers.

The inner-city farm complex, which was founded in

1993, has made valuable contributions to the good-

food movement in its development of worm com-posting and aquaponic technologies.

Green Youth FarmChicago, Illinois

http://www.chicago-botanic.org/greenyouthfarm/

Founded in 2003, the Green Youth Farm is a youth

leadership program for middle and high school stu-dents in North Chicago thats dedicated to sustain-able food systems and healthy eating. Students

grow fresh produce, herbs, and flowers, and are

required to develop a business and marketing plan,

sell produce a local farmers markets, and manageU-pick days at the farm.

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

PRECEDENT PROJECTS


18/18

CONTRIBUTORS

Betsy DeRuff

Betsy DeRuff, a longtime resident of Marin County, is mar-

ried and the mother of three children. She is also an ordained

Episcopal priest and in 2006 co-founded The Macrina Com-

munity, the first new Episcopal church in Marin County in 65years and based on the principles of individual and collective

spiritual growth. She previously served for eight years as an

intern and on staff at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

in San Francisco. Betsy earned her Masters in Divinity from

the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and has an under-

graduate business degree from the University of Southern

California. Following graduation she moved to New York City

where she worked for McKinsey and Company and Chemical

Bank. Betsy is published in the area of children and worship,

enjoys cycling and is a competitive swimmer. She is also an

avid gardener and enjoys creating healthy and delicious mealsfrom the abundance of fruits and vegetables she grows in her

backyard. Every year Betsy gets a little closer to her dream of

becoming fluent in Italian.

Vision Statement

Existing Conditions

- Overview

- Maps

- Site Photos

Developers Plan

- Overview


- Drawings

A New Vision:

Larkspur Farm

- Project Proposal

- Site Plan

- Plans

Appendix

- Marins Legacy


Contributors

Kuth|Ranieri Architects

Kuth/Ranieri Architects was established in 1990 by Byron Kuth, FAIA, LEED AP and Elizabeth

Ranieri, FAIA, LEED AP. In addition to the two founding principals, the KR team consists of

seven staff architects and designers. We have earned a regional and national reputation for our

innovative works that integrate current cultural discourse with contemporary issues of design,

technology and environmental awareness.

Kuth/Ranieris projects have been consistently recognized and awarded by the American Insti-

tute of Architects: Regional, State, and National Honors; I.D. Magazines 39th. 45th, 47th and

53rd Annual Awards; and the Architecture League of New York. Our work is represented in

periodicals: DWELL, Domus, I.D. Magazine, and Architectural Record; in publications: Rizzoli,

Thames and Hudson, the Whitney Library of Design and in their recent monograph published

by Princeton Architectural Press; and displayed in commercial, university and museum galler-

ies throughout the country. Kuth/Ranieri offers a broad range of industry experience including:

commercial, residential, institutional, medical and non-profit projects at a variety of scales and

budgets.

Additional thanks to:

David DeRuff, Sally M. Jacobs, Jocelyn Knight Photography, Nancy Kent Danielson, who inspired me with

her grandfathers story and lives his values daily, Joe Stewart, and Brian Stromquist.

Betsys photo