LAND USE

The Marin Country Club neighborhood is a low-density residential area (approximately 1.1 to 5 units per acre), with homes situated on large lots surrounding the private Marin Country Club (MCC). The area is bordered by significant open space, with access points along Fairway Drive to the south and Country Club Drive to the north.

The neighborhood is shaped by the Arroyo de San Jose, a tributary of Novato Creek, and includes access to numerous hiking and biking trails within adjacent Marin County Open Space lands. The Buck Gulch Falls trailhead is located at the end of Fairway Drive.

The City of Novato General Plan and Zoning Code designate the area for low-density residential use and open space. Certain natural hazards exist, including seasonal flooding along Fairway Drive associated with the Arroyo de San Jose, as well as areas of potential landslide risk on nearby hillsides. The City maintains maps identifying these hazard zones.

Current land-use issues in the neighborhood include the following:

• Street use and maintenance.
• A proposed County Open Space Park at Buck Gulch Falls.
• Oleander plantings along Fairway Drive.

Street Use and Maintenance

Residents have raised concerns regarding traffic conditions on Fairway Drive, including speeding, the use of motorized bikes and scooters, and parking that may affect emergency access. Additional concerns include road maintenance issues such as pavement condition, striping visibility, and signage.

Buck Gulch Waterfall Park

In 2025, the Marin County Open Space District announced plans for accessibility improvements at the end of Fairway Drive, including trail upgrades, bridge construction, retaining walls, and a proposed viewing platform at the waterfall.

Because the site would become a designated ADA-accessible waterfall trail, the project could increase visitor traffic to the area.
Construction activities, including the movement of equipment and materials along Fairway Drive, may also affect neighborhood conditions during the construction period.

A community meeting in 2025 drew over 200 residents, and many expressed concerns regarding traffic, parking, fire safety at the end of Fairway Drive, as well as overall neighborhood impact. The County has continued planning efforts, and residents remain interested in ongoing communication and engagement regarding the project; however, no further outreach has occurred.

Oleanders

In summer 2025, Marin Country Club planted 500+ oleanders in the city right-of-way to create a border wall around the golf course, without seeking or receiving encroachment permits from the City.

These plantings, which connect with the existing wall of plants along Fairway Drive, Birdie Drive, and Country Club Drive, will rapidly obscure the view of the golf course and the vista of the hills beyond. These views have been an asset and attraction for the Marin Country Club neighborhood for over 50 years. The mature oleanders and the new plantings fail to comply with the City’s setback and height requirements for such plantings that abut a right-of-way, or are in a neighborhood zoned residential.

Several members of the neighborhood are actively engaged with City officials working towards a compromise that would accommodate the purposes of the Marin Country Club and the community, and be consistent with City Codes.