Overview

The Community Plan is a guide for future planning decisions in Point Reyes Station.  The Plan reflects the desire of the community to sustain the traditional character of Point Reyes Station as the commercial hub for rural West Marin and as a place of full-time residence for people preferring a predominantly rural life style. This community character is under increasing pressure from tourism and rapidly rising land prices. 

Primary Goals of the Plan

Preserve the viability of Point Reyes Station as a small rural, working town.
Preserve the town's historic and other seasoned buildings and its unpretentious, rural appearance.
Carefully manage the impacts of tourism on the visual character of the historic downtown district.
Minimize the impacts of tourism on the everyday activities of the local population.
Create additional affordable housing for people employed locally.
Protect Lagunitas and Tomasini creeks and other elements of the Tomales Bay ecosystem.
Promote organic agriculture and sustainable living.
Increase community awareness and participation in planning and development matters.

Scope of the Plan

The Plan includes:
  • History of Point Reyes Station
  • Description of Planning Area and Permitted Land Use
  • Protection for Downtown Historic Area and Historic Structures
  • Commercial Land Use Policies
  • Residential Land Use Policies
  • Protection for Natural Resources
  • Transportation Policies
  • Community Services and Facilities Policies
  • Design Guidelines for Development in Historic Areas and for Pre-1930s Structures
  • Historic Review Checklist
  • Land Use and Zoning Maps
  • Trail Maps
  • Sign Ordinances
  • Photos of Historic Structures

Why care about the Plan?  

Until 2006, Point Reyes Station featured a working dairy with over 500 head of cattle. Stray cows would show up unannounced in search of young grass. When the wind was blowing right, there was no place in town that did not conjure the image of "dairy."   By smell and sight, Point Reyes Station was a rural working town. 

In the following years, in inverse correlation to the vanishing dairy smell and the plummeting fly population, the number of enthusiastic visitors has grown exponentially. Social media has contributed to making the town more popular than ever-- less a gateway to the National Seashore and more a gourmet destination.  

We are challenged with defending the "rural" and "working" aspects of our "small, rural working town" from suburban-style changes.  We don't want to be Napa, Sonoma or Martha's Vineyard, turning our historic district into a postcard image of an upscale tourist village.  Nor can we say no to change.  The Plan contains valuable guidelines in balancing the need for improvements with the need to preserve the rural heritage of the town. 

The Plan offers principled preservation objectives and policies and ensures fairness and transparency in their implementation.  The Village Association uses the Plan as its standard in analyzing issues and seeking solutions.   

See Some Examples

The Plan supports:

Example of new construction in the Historic Area, with the use of straightforward building design, using materials common to a rural settings - wood and corrugated metal
The Plan discourages:

Example of new construction that would be discouraged by the Plan if intended for the Historic Area.  Although perfectly appropriate for suburban areas, it does not reflect the rural heritage of the town, with dissimilar roof shape, materials and design.
The Plan supports dark skies at night. 
The Plan discourages bright, upward facing lights.

​​The Plan supports reasonable on-site signage and water-permeable, non-blacktop/concrete surfaces.
The Plan discourages large blacktop and concrete areas and off site signage, including persistent sandwich boards.
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