Tiburon pledges another $1 million to land deal

Tiburon has pledged up to $1 million in additional funds toward the effort to acquire and preserve the 110-acre Martha property, a commitment that brings the nonprofit in charge of the fundraising to within about $760,000 of its goal.

The Town Council voted 4-1 at its April 3 meeting to donate the additional money contingent on it “being necessary and as the last source of funding” to the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land, which is working with local grassroots group Tiburon Open Space to purchase the property from owner the Martha Co. for $42.1 million. Councilmember Jack Ryan cast the dissenting vote, saying he would like the trust to reach out to the county for additional funding first before coming back to Tiburon, citing Marin’s nearly $800-million budget.

Tiburon has already guaranteed the trust a $1 million donation, approved in November 2022, meaning its total contribution to the effort could now be as high as $2 million. The final amount depends on how much additional funding the trust can secure; it has a pending $1.5 million state-agency grant that could significantly reduce Tiburon’s contribution.

It also planned on asking Belvedere for a $125,000 contribution at the City Council’s April 8 meeting, which was held after The Ark’s press deadline, while the Belvedere Community Foundation has launched a matching-grant program with a target of $100,000.

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