New Drake Avenue Building in Marin City Raises Gentrification Concerns

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new 42-unit affordable housing development called the Drake Avenue Apartments has been built in Marin City, California. While the building is intended to provide affordable housing, many in the predominantly Black community fear it will lead to gentrification. The rents, ranging from $1,088 to $2,176 for two-bedroom units, are seen as unaffordable for most current Marin City residents. The building was constructed despite years of opposition from a local coalition, and some residents say the construction has been disruptive, especially for seniors in the neighboring Village Oduduwa facility.

Why it matters

Marin City is a historically Black community that has long struggled with issues of affordability and gentrification. The new Drake Avenue building, while aiming to provide affordable housing, is seen by many as a harbinger of further gentrification that could displace long-time residents. This reflects broader tensions in the Bay Area around development, affordable housing, and preserving the character of local communities.

The details

The Drake Avenue Apartments is a 42-unit, 100% affordable housing development. Of the units, 25 have project-based federal housing vouchers that cap rents at 30% of a tenant's income, while the remaining 17 units have deed restrictions limiting rents to 30% or 60% of the area median income. However, even the deed-restricted units have rents ranging from $1,088 to $2,176 for two-bedrooms, which many Marin City residents say they cannot afford. The development was built using prefabricated construction and took just a few months to complete. It sits between three Black cultural spaces in Marin City: the Manzanita Recreation Center, George 'Rocky' Graham Park, and the Village Oduduwa adult living facility. The construction has been disruptive for some of the senior residents of Village Oduduwa, with noise making it difficult for hospice patients.

• The new 42-unit Drake Avenue Apartments building was constructed in a matter of months in 2026.
• The land for the development was sold by the Marin Redevelopment Agency in 1983 to the American Baptist Churches of the West, and then passed to the Village Oduduwa adult living facility in 1986.
• An electrical fire destroyed the previous church building on the site in 1999, leaving the land vacant for 27 years until it was sold to a developer in 2020.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Marin Housing Authority is still working on the waiting list and preference policies for the Drake Avenue Apartments, and there is a possibility the units could be used for temporary housing during the renovation of the nearby Golden Gate Village public housing complex.