San Rafael Airport MOU
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Between COUNTY OF MARIN and SAN RAFAEL AIRPORT, LLC
The County negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the San Rafael Airport to address three issues:
- Resolution of conflicting boundary information
- Long-term maintenance for the levees that surround the Airport
- Planning for future potential restoration of the land east of the runway
The document also outlines an interim plan for maintaining portions of the levees and channel along Gallinas Creek.
The Board of Supervisors have approved two documents that implement the MOU:
- Tidelands Lease Agreement regarding levee maintenance
- Grant of Permission regarding public or private activities taking place along the South Fork of Gallinas Creek
What’s new?
April 2020
As described in the MOU, coordination with the State Lands Commission (SLC) is a key and mandatory element of any formal public trust granted land exchange. The County has been in contact with and have met with SLC staff on multiple occasions over the past several years to understand all of their requirements for an eventual and successful exchange involving the SR Airport site. In addition, their role in the process has been recently identified, including the cost of their “services”. The County and SLC entered into an agreement in April 2020 to allow for reimbursement of SLC for staff time spent on the exchange effort (this is a requirement). A copy of the County-SLC Agreement is provided here:
The next step in the process will be to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to contract with a licensed land surveyor to conduct the survey work necessary to produce a formal boundary map of the exchange parcels. The RFP process is beginning this summer with development of the scope of work and the RFP package which should be released for proposals early fall 2020. Once a surveyor is contracted then the survey investigations and field work will commence. All work produced will need to be reviewed by SLC staff to ensure accuracy and eventually SLC staff’s recommendation of approval to its Commission.
There will also be opportunities at key points in the process for public review and comments prior to any final actions. Additional future steps include: exchange parcel appraisal, appraisal review and approval by SLC staff and Airport ownership; boundary adjustment agreement negotiations between the exchange parties; final boundary map and approval of the exchange and all related documents by the SLC, the Marin County Board of Supervisors, SR Airport ownership, and any other parties that may be determined. The expectation is that the entire process will take several (3-5) years to complete based on SLC staff feedback on similar land exchanges.
It is also important to remember that a significant portion of the Airport’s lands, including a portion of the levee system and the Sports Complex are within the corporate boundaries of the City of San Rafael (City) and under their jurisdiction. Also note that the City is not a party to the MOU, the Tidelands Lease nor the SLC Agreements.
Resources
- Public Meeting Slideshow Presentation, August 15, 2018
- Analysis of Potential Levee Setback/Wetland Restoration Project on State Tidelands Granted to the County of Marin at the Confluence of the North and South Forks of Gallinas Creek.
- Excavation, Grading or Filling Permit, GP 16-002, October 13, 2017, 1st Extension 10/11/19
- State Lands Commission granted land statutes
- State Lands Commission Maps:
- Tideland maps
- View these Marin County maps:
- Grant to the County of Marin, Statutes of 1959
- Resurvey of Gallinas Canal, 1984
- Tideland maps
- Unrecorded Map: