Commercial Real Estate in Kentfield: Sir Francis Drake RMPC Frontage, Housing Overlay and County Rules

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Kentfield is an unincorporated Ross Valley community whose commercial property is concentrated in one place: a short run of shops, offices and service businesses on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard across from the College of Marin. Almost everything else is residential, institutional or open space. Because that frontage has been placed in a housing overlay, the land underneath much of Kentfield’s commercial stock now carries a second, residential use. Confirm zoning and overlay status for each parcel with the Marin County Community Development Agency.

Who controls the parcel

Kentfield has no city government. Marin County regulates land use under its Title 22 Development Code, guided by the Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Plan. State records show that plan and its rezoning were circulated by the county in July 1986 with a Negative Declaration, naming Highway 101, the NWP rail line and Corte Madera Creek as plan-area landmarks.

Several special districts also govern a commercial site:

Fire. The Kentfield Fire Protection District covers Kentfield, Greenbrae, Kent Woodlands and Del Mesa, 3.8 square miles, from its station at 1004 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Marin LAFCo’s August 2026 fire services study lists the district at a Class 1 PPC rating with 13 full-time staff and notes it has not expressed interest in consolidation.
Sewer. The Ross Valley Sanitary District lists Kentfield among its unincorporated service communities.
Flood. Kentfield is in Flood Control Zone 9, formed in 1965 for the 28-square-mile Ross Valley watershed, which funds work through a storm drainage fee.

Kentfield zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

The county’s housing sites list shows the Sir Francis Drake commercial parcels zoned RMPC with an HOD overlay. Other districts below come from county Chapter 22.12.

District	Intended uses	Notes
RMPC:HOD (Sir Francis Drake frontage, roughly 901–943)	Mainly residential with selected commercial uses; housing overlay	Restaurants, retail, offices and medical clinics need a use permit. Multifamily permitted. HOD allows 30 units/acre in a T4 form
PF:HOD (College of Marin parking lots)	Public facilities with a housing overlay	Listed for lower-income housing
R1:HOD (Sloat Garden Center, 700 Sir Francis Drake)	Single-family base with a housing overlay	Existing nursery use; HOD allows 30 units/acre
C1, CP, AP, OP	County commercial and office districts	Check the zoning map; we did not confirm any are mapped in Kentfield

In RMPC, most commercial uses need a use permit, unlike C1 or CP where they are permitted outright. That makes a change of tenant on the Kentfield frontage more of a process than it would be in nearby Larkspur or San Anselmo.

The Sir Francis Drake frontage and College of Marin

Housing overlay on commercial parcels. The county lists 11 Kentfield Commercial Underutilized parcels on Sir Francis Drake, from 901 to 943, plus three College of Marin commercial frontage parcels at 937–941. The county’s Table 2-12 sets these at 30 units per acre in the T4 transect zone of the Form Based Code. The HOD section was re-enacted by Ordinance 3782 on January 24, 2023 and amended in 2024. Housing projects there are approved ministerially if they meet the form-based standards, while any non-housing project still follows the RMPC use table.

What it means for a buyer. An owner of a small retail or office building on the frontage can keep the commercial use, but also has a by-right path to mixed-use housing. Underwriting should value both, and leases should be written with redevelopment in mind.

College of Marin. Five College of Marin parking lot parcels at 139 Kent Avenue and on Sir Francis Drake carry PF:HOD and are listed for 81 lower-income units in the county’s inventory. Those projects, if they proceed, would change parking and traffic along the frontage.

Sloat Garden Center. The 700 Sir Francis Drake site is listed for 31 lower-income units under R1:HOD at 30 units per acre.

Flood work, short-term rentals and permits

Corte Madera Creek. Kentfield’s commercial frontage lies near Corte Madera Creek. Zone 9 runs channel maintenance, studies and flood risk projects in the watershed after the December 2005 Ross Valley floods. Check the FEMA flood zone, prior claims and any planned work near the parcel.

Short-term rentals. Kentfield is not one of the county’s STR townships with its own cap, so a county STR license comes from the countywide pool of 1,200. Hotels, motels and B&Bs are exempt from STR licensing but need zoning approval.

Planning review. Recent county project listings for Kentfield include design review for the Ross Valley Nursery School, showing that institutional uses go through the same design review process as homes.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Kentfield is unincorporated, so only the county transfer tax applies: $0.55 per $500, net of assumed liens, per the Marin County Recorder’s transfer tax sheet. Every business in unincorporated Marin needs a county business license under Chapter 5.54, renewed by July 31 and taxed by gross receipts class. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment, and the parcel’s tax bill will also carry any Zone 9 storm drainage charge.

Due diligence that matters in Kentfield

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the parcel’s base zone and whether it is an HOD site in Table 2-12.
For any new tenant in RMPC, check whether the use needs a use permit.
Obtain RVSD’s lateral Certificate of Compliance, required within 90 days of closing for sales and for remodels over $75,000.
Review FEMA flood mapping and Zone 9 project plans near Corte Madera Creek.
Ask Kentfield Fire about inspection and access requirements.
Factor College of Marin housing proposals into parking and traffic assumptions.

Questions people ask

Is Kentfield a city?

No. It is unincorporated, so Marin County handles zoning, permits and business licenses.

What zoning covers the shops on Sir Francis Drake?

The county’s housing sites list shows RMPC with a Housing Overlay Designation for the commercial parcels from about 901 to 943.

Can I build housing on a Kentfield commercial lot?

On HOD sites, yes, ministerially at up to 30 units per acre if the project meets the Form Based Code.

Does a new restaurant need a use permit?

In RMPC, yes. Restaurants, retail, offices and medical clinics all need one.

What sewer paperwork does a sale need?

An RVSD lateral Certificate of Compliance, with 90 days after closing to obtain it.

Is there a city transfer tax?

No. Only the county rate applies.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Kentfield?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Kentfield.

Sources & notes

Marin County Title 22 Development Code
Marin County Code (GoCodebook): Ch. 22.12, Ch. 22.14 incl. Table 2-12
Marin County, Central Marin housing element sites
CEQAnet, Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Plan (SCH 1986070806)
Marin LAFCo: Kentfield Fire Protection District, Fire Services Study, Aug. 2026 draft
Ross Valley Sanitary District, compliance
Marin Flood District, Zone 9 Ross Valley
Marin County: STR license, business license, Kentfield projects, Recorder transfer tax

Note: We did not open the Kentfield/Greenbrae Community Plan text, the zoning map or the Form Based Code, and did not confirm the Zone 9 fee amount. College of Marin unit counts are from the county inventory and may change.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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