Low-income Marin City residents sound alarm over $266M project with concerns of being forced out
MARIN CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- Low-income residents who depend on public housing at Golden Gate Village in Marin City are concerned they will be pushed out after officials announced they are moving forward with a $266 million renovation project that residents fear could permanently displace them.
Despite reassurances from housing officials that residents will be relocated to other units on the property during construction, there is concern about people being forced out.
While there have been numerous public meetings and years of planning, those we spoke with say none of the residents have had a say in this renovation and that worries them.
"It's still that 'we know what's best for you,'" McLemore said. "We need a lawyer. That's what we really, really need -- someone in the legal realm to assist us."
MORE: Marin Co. residents to protest new housing development that will create 'nightmare situation'
Federal housing officials from Washington, D.C., are in Marin City on Wednesday as they prepare for a $266 million renovation project at Golden Gate Village that is scheduled to begin June 1.
ABC7 reached out to the Marin Housing Authority about residents' concerns but did not receive a response.
McLemore, who said she will have lived at Golden Gate Village for 50 years as of next month, voiced concern that the renovation could permanently alter the community. She fears it could lead to what we have seen in other cities.
"Completely gentrifying the community, forcing Black people out of public housing," said Royce McLemore, president of the Golden Gate Village Resident Council.
Golden Gate Village, also known as a former residence of rapper Tupac Shakur, is Marin County's only federal public housing development for families and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The renovation is intended to address longstanding issues, including mold, water pipe problems and rodent infestations.
Guadalupe Beltran, a resident of the complex who says she has caught 33 rats, said she supports repairs but fears being displaced.
"I'm scared that they are getting me out and not bringing me back to my house. I'm scared, I'm telling you," she said.
"We want for them to make sure everything is done fairly. We want to make sure that people have the right to return. People won't be homeless after this place is renovated," said Jae Moses, chairperson of the Golden Gate Village Resident Council.
Architect Ora Anne Hatheway described the housing complex as irreplaceable and expressed concern about how the renovation is being handled.
"My concern is the cutting of corners, trying to push this through really fast," Hatheway said.
County supervisor responds to concerns of Marin City residents being forced out over $266 million project
Golden Gate Village in Marin City has faced a range of long-standing issues, residents say, including mold, plumbing problems and pests. Now it's set for a multi-million dollar renovation, however, concerns about how the project is being handled brought residents to a meeting with housing officials Wednesday.
When asked what they would say to county supervisors, resident Royce McLemore said, "If I were to talk to one of the supervisors, I would tell them to stop everything until the residents were included,"
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development attended the meeting on April 22, but declined to comment. We brought questions instead to Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters.
Moulton-Peters said the renovation will be done in phases and that residents will be temporarily relocated to other vacant units on the property during construction.
"We've made arrangements with one of the apartment buildings up on the top of the hill, right here in this community, and that's where people will move into units while their units are being renovated. And then they'll move back home to Golden Gate Village," Moulton-Peters said.
She said residents are guaranteed the right to return to their homes.
"This is a concern that we take seriously. Every resident will move back into their own unit and we've given this to them in writing. Before they leave, their unit will sign a document together that guarantees their right to return. But we've had this as a key principle since the time we started planning this process," Moulton-Peters said.
She also addressed concerns from residents who feel left out of the planning process, saying community input has focused on those affected by the first phase of the project.
"So other residents may not have heard quite as much, or felt like they had as much contact. But if there are residents who have concerns, we're happy to hear from them. You can contact my office or the housing authority directly," she said.
Residents are expected to begin moving out in mid-June. The renovation project is expected to take about two years to complete.
