A proposed 224-unit affordable housing complex on 52 acres of a 1,040-acre hillside property called Grady Ranch on Lucas Valley Road in unincorporated western Marin County, roughly 5 miles from San Rafael. Developer: George Lucas's Skywalker Properties, partnering with PEP Housing (Petaluma Ecumenical Properties), a nonprofit affordable housing developer. Lucas proposed to finance the entire project himself at an estimated cost of "north of $150 million" — with no state grants, no federal funding, and no taxpayer money — making it what would have been the largest privately financed affordable housing project in United States history. The project mix: 120 two- and three-bedroom workforce rental homes (up to 80% AMI — in Marin, up to ~$101,400 for a family of four); and 104 one- and two-bedroom senior apartments (30-60% AMI). The proposal preserved 93% of the Grady Ranch property as open space. A pre-application was submitted to the Marin County Community Development Agency on April 15, 2015. By late 2016, the project website displayed "This project is currently on hold." The website subsequently went dark. The 224 homes were never built. The site remains undeveloped hillside.
| Date | Event | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1996 | Marin County Approves 1996 Master Plan for Grady Ranch | Marin County Board of Supervisors approves a Master Plan allowing up to 456,000 square feet of development at Grady Ranch. This approval runs with the land and establishes the legal development rights underpinning all subsequent proposals. Marin Conservation League: http://www.marinconservationleague.org/about-us/40-successes/advocacy/200-grady.html |
| January 1, 2001 | Lucas Pursues Expanded Grady Ranch Film Studio | Skywalker Properties begins renewed efforts to develop a major digital film production studio at Grady Ranch — a 270,000 sq ft facility for 340 employees. The Lucas Valley Estates Homeowners Association opposes the project throughout a years-long planning, environmental review, and public hearings process. Jedi News: https://www.jedinews.com/film-music-tv/articles/lucasfilm-stuns-marin-pulls-plug-on-grady-ranch/ |
| January 1, 2002 | Lucas Donates 800 Acres to Marin County Open Space District | Skywalker Properties donates 800 of Grady Ranch's approximately 1,040 acres to the Marin County Open Space District, permanently protecting the land from development. 239 acres remain under private ownership, of which 52 are considered developable. This donation is later used in the housing proposal to demonstrate that 93% of the site will remain permanent open space. Marin Conservation League: http://www.marinconservationleague.org/about-us/40-successes/advocacy/200-grady.html |
| April 10, 2012 | Lucas Withdraws Film Studio Application — Announces Land for Housing | Skywalker Properties withdraws its Grady Ranch film studio application after neighbor opposition and state and federal water agency objections create delays "with no end in sight." In its withdrawal letter, Lucasfilm writes: "The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors." The company announces it will sell Grady Ranch and hopes a developer will build low-income housing. The Marin Economic Forum estimates the studio withdrawal cost the county $216 million in economic activity and 690 jobs. Jedi News: https://www.jedinews.com/film-music-tv/articles/lucasfilm-stuns-marin-pulls-plug-on-grady-ranch/ |
| June 1, 2012 | First Affordable Housing Proposal (With Marin Community Foundation) | Rather than sell Grady Ranch, Lucas announces he will develop it himself as affordable housing, partnering with the Marin Community Foundation. The Foundation's CEO calls it an "extraordinary offer." The Lucas Valley Estates Homeowners Association immediately expresses opposition — the same group that fought the studio. CBS Bay Area: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/lucas-loses-partner-on-marin-county-housing-development-plan/ |
| June 1, 2013 | Marin Community Foundation Withdraws — First Attempt Collapses | The Marin Community Foundation announces it is pulling out of the housing partnership with Lucas, citing "uncertainties in state and federal financing." Lucas's spokesman says he will continue seeking a developer. The withdrawal ends the first affordable housing attempt. The same financial uncertainty Lucas would specifically remove in his 2015 proposal — by funding it himself — is cited as the reason this attempt failed. CBS Bay Area: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/lucas-loses-partner-on-marin-county-housing-development-plan/ |
| April 15, 2015 | Lucas Re-Applies: 224 Units, $150M Entirely Self-Funded | Skywalker Properties, working with PEP Housing, submits a pre-application to the Marin County Community Development Agency for 224 units of affordable workforce and senior housing on 52 acres at Grady Ranch. Lucas will finance 100% himself — no state grants, no federal funding — specifically removing the financing uncertainty that killed the first proposal. Total cost: "north of $150 million." Attorney Gary Giacomini publicly quotes Lucas: "We've got enough millionaires here. What we need is some houses for regular working people." Would be the largest privately financed affordable housing project in US history. CBS SF: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/george-lucas-planning-payback-with-massive-affordable-housing-project-on-his-marin-county-land/ |
| June 1, 2015 | Community Meetings Begin — HOA Organizes Opposition | Marin County begins its preliminary review. Public engagement meetings are held. The Lucas Valley Estates HOA, led by president Maggie McCann, organizes opposition. McCann tells Marketplace: hearing Lucas was moving forward "made my heart sink and my stomach feel bad." Neighbors raise concerns about traffic, view impacts, and neighborhood character. The HOA threatens a $70 million environmental lawsuit over the project's creek restoration component. Marketplace publishes "The Debate Against Affordable Housing in Marin." Marketplace NPR: https://www.marketplace.org/story/2015/06/11/debate-against-affordable-housing-marin |
| November 1, 2016 | "This Project Is Currently On Hold" — Website Updated | The Grady Ranch affordable housing project website adds the message: "This project is currently on hold." No explanation is given. The $70 million lawsuit threat from the HOA, the lengthy county review process, and the lack of a clear approval path appear to have stalled the project. Public hearings expected "midway through 2016" have not taken place. Livabl: https://www.livabl.com/articles/archives/george-lucas-affordable-housing-marin-county-stalled |
| January 1, 2020 | Project Website Disappears — 224 Homes Definitively Not Built | The Grady Ranch affordable housing project website goes offline and becomes a redirect. As of 2022, Cracked.com reports: "nearly a decade has passed since George announced his idea, and yet there's no sign of affordable units on Grady Ranch." The project is permanently dead. Grady Ranch remains undeveloped hillside. Lucas sold Skywalker Ranch to Google in 2022; current status of Grady Ranch ownership is unconfirmed. Cracked.com: https://www.cracked.com/article_32246_george-lucas-troll-ish-offer-to-build-affordable-housing.html |
Rating 2 of 5. Two sources; some dates or figures remain unconfirmed. Corrections: https://whokilledthebuilding.com/corrections.