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Architect describes design, sustainability choices and fire‑department access for 309 Tamalpais
Summary
Architect Joe Maguire presented project details for 309 Tamalpais—a roughly 4,600‑sq‑ft home with a new garage, pool and solar—stressing reuse of existing foundation, sustainable materials, and that the Southern Marin Fire Department reviewed and accepted the 150‑foot hose‑reach and staging plan.
Architect Joe Maguire (Richardson Pribus Architects) presented the design for 309 Tamalpais Avenue, describing a proposal that retains much of the existing footprint, adds an upper floor of roughly 900 square feet, converts the lower garage into living space, and adds a detached two‑car garage, pool and patio.
Maguire emphasized that the property is heavily screened by trees and that the planned elevations remain below local height limits. He outlined materials and sustainability features: new WUI‑compliant cedar‑style siding, metal‑clad windows and doors, wire‑frame railings, standing‑seam metal roofing and photovoltaic solar arrays. On fire safety, Maguire said Southern Marin Fire Department reviewed the 150‑foot hose‑run plan and the staging area and approved the arrangement after two iterations, including a requirement to measure hose reach from the middle of the road rather than the curb in this instance.
During questioning, the architect and civil‑engineering team acknowledged pending survey work to verify exact excavation elevations and fill calculations. The project team said they would use available on‑site cut where possible, but that some import (staff estimated ~127 cubic yards) may be required for driveway grading and a raised driveway platform. The architect also explained design trade‑offs: maintaining an existing front wall and some foundation reduces hillside disturbance but creates the need for a minor variance for the front setback.
