New Homes in Marin County: The Complete 2026–2027 Guide

By Kyle Frazier, JD, CRS, CLHMS · Broker Associate, Compass · CA DRE #01405738 · Sales & Marketing Director, Magnolia Village · Updated July 29, 2026

New construction is the rarest product in Marin County real estate. In a county of roughly 260,000 people, entire years pass in which no new for-sale community opens. I have spent more than 20 years selling Marin real estate, I directed sales for a sold-out new community at Hamilton Field in Novato, and I currently serve as Sales & Marketing Director for Magnolia Village in Larkspur — so I track this pipeline professionally, not casually. This guide covers every significant project selling, coming, approved, or proposed in Marin County for 2026–2027, with the facts current as of publication.

What New Construction Homes Are for Sale in Marin County Right Now?

Legacy at Lucas Valley is the only new-home community actively selling in Marin County as of July 2026. Built by Haven Development in the Marinwood area of unincorporated San Rafael (94903), the community consists of 28 single-family homes, six of which are designated affordable under the project's approval. The market-rate homes are substantial: four- and five-bedroom two- and three-story plans ranging from about 3,081 to 3,769 square feet, with published pricing starting near $2.99 million per the builder. A sales office and model operate on Erin Drive off Lucas Valley Road, and homes are delivering as construction completes; current availability is published on Haven Development's Legacy at Lucas Valley page.

For buyers who want a detached home, new systems, and a warranty — and who are shopping the $3M+ range in the San Rafael, Terra Linda, or Lucas Valley corridor — this is, quite literally, the only production option in the county today. Availability changes as homes sell, so verify current inventory directly with the builder.

What New Home Communities Are Coming to Marin in 2027?

Magnolia Village is the next for-sale new-home community coming to Marin County: a limited collection of 20 new townhomes at 1133–1169 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, California, under construction now and coming in 2027. The community occupies the former Ace Hardware site adjacent to Rustic Bakery, placing residents a short walk from downtown Larkspur's restaurants and shops, the Kentwoodlands Shopping Center (featuring Woodlands Market), the Corte Madera Creek pathways, and some of the most walkable streets in central Marin. The project was approved by the City of Larkspur in 2023 and includes ground-floor retail along Magnolia Avenue plus four below-market-rate residences offered through the community's affordable housing program.

I serve as Sales & Marketing Director for Magnolia Village. Two things make Magnolia Village genuinely unusual in the Marin pipeline. First, location — new construction in central Marin's most established towns essentially never happens, because the land does not exist; this site is the exception. Second, product type — no other for-sale townhome community is under construction anywhere in central Marin, which means buyers seeking a lock-and-leave alternative to the county's aging housing stock have exactly one new option between San Rafael and the Golden Gate.

Pricing, floor plans, and release details will be published over the next few months. Until then, the complete and current information lives on the official community page, and early access runs through the First Look List below. You can read the full community overview at imaginemarin.com/magnolia-village-larkspur. The community website (www.MagnoliaVillageLarkspur.com) is coming in August 2026.

What Major Marin Housing Developments Are Approved and Underway?

Two large approved projects will reshape Marin's housing landscape over the next several years, though neither offers homes buyers can purchase today.

Mallard Pointe — Belvedere

Mallard Pointe is the approved redevelopment of a 1951 duplex community at 1–22 Mallard Road on the Belvedere Lagoon into 40 new residences — a mix of for-sale single-family homes along the lagoon, duplexes, and rental apartments — led by developer Thompson Dorfman Partners; the City of Belvedere maintains the official project record. The project cleared two significant milestones recently: the Belvedere City Council extended the tentative subdivision map to March 19, 2027, the approval that will allow individual sale of the single-family homes, and the city issued the demolition permit in July 2026. Mallard Pointe is now the project to watch in southern Marin. Sales timing has not been announced; when the for-sale homes come to market, expect them to be among the most closely watched offerings in the county given the waterfront setting.

Northgate Town Square — San Rafael

Northgate Town Square is the largest housing project in Marin County: an approved redevelopment of the Northgate Mall into an open-air, mixed-use district with up to 1,422 residences and roughly 225,000 square feet of retained commercial space. The San Rafael City Council approved the project in December 2024, interior demolition work inside the former Sears buildings began in early 2026, and full demolition was permitted to begin as early as March 2026, with the remainder of the mall staying open during construction. The majority of the housing will be rental apartments delivered in phases over many years, though plans include about 100 lower-density townhomes along the southern edge of the property — a for-sale possibility worth watching, but one that is well behind the first rental phases in the queue.

Which Marin New-Home Communities Recently Sold Out?

Marin's three most recent for-sale communities all sold out, and together they tell you exactly how new construction behaves in this county. The Strand at Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael — Trumark Homes' waterfront community of 18 single-family homes, 14 townhomes, and five condominium flats beside the 519-slip harbor — is down to its final home as of this writing. Verandah at Valley Oaks in Novato, Landsea Homes' 80-townhome community off Redwood Boulevard near the SMART line, sold out and now trades only as resales. And Ascend at Hamilton Field in Novato — City Ventures' 75 solar-powered, all-electric townhomes — sold out as well; I know that community's absorption story firsthand from my years working the Hamilton Field market, where I also directed sales for a sellout community called The Landing at Hamilton.

That is roughly 185 new homes absorbed by the market, leaving behind waiting demand and a resale premium. The pattern is consistent: Marin new construction opens, sells through, and disappears into resale inventory. Buyers who waited for a better moment at any of these three communities are now competing for resales instead of choosing a homesite. That history is the practical argument for joining a community's interest list early rather than watching from the sidelines — list members see pricing and availability first, and in a county where 185 homes constitutes an entire cycle of supply, first look matters.

What Else Is in the Marin Development Pipeline?

The remainder of Marin's pipeline is real but not buyer-actionable for a purchase. The Ivy at Corte Madera is a proposed senior living and memory care community at the current Best Western site, to be operated by Oakmont. A separate, approved 99-unit project at 240 Tamal Vista in Corte Madera is 100% deed-restricted affordable rental housing. The long-discussed Seminary at Strawberry redevelopment in Mill Valley's Strawberry area remains in the proposal stage, and School Street Plaza in Fairfax is approved but not delivering for-sale product. These projects matter for the county's housing picture and for anyone tracking neighborhood change, but none puts a purchasable new home in front of a buyer in 2026–2027.

Why Is New Construction So Rare in Marin County?

New construction is rare in Marin because the county has almost no developable residential land, and what little exists takes years to entitle. More than 80% of Marin is permanently protected as parkland, agricultural land, or open space — a preservation legacy that defines the county's character and simultaneously caps its housing supply. The buildable remainder was largely developed decades ago, which is why most Marin housing stock dates to the 1950s through 1980s and why new communities almost always rise on reused sites: a former hardware store in Larkspur, a shopping mall in San Rafael, a 1951 duplex compound in Belvedere, a decommissioned airfield in Novato.

The consequence for buyers is structural scarcity. When a new community does open, it is not competing against other new communities — it is competing against 40-to-70-year-old resale housing, and it absorbs accordingly. That is the context in which two communities — one selling, one coming — represent the entire realistic new-construction market in a county of a quarter-million people.

How Do You Buy a New Construction Home in Marin?

Buying new construction in Marin starts earlier than a resale purchase: the buyers who get first choice are on a community's interest list before sales open, not shopping after the model opens. Builders release homes in phases, early phases sometimes carry the most attractive pricing, and priority generally follows list position and preparedness. Three practical steps: join the interest list of any community you are considering the moment you learn about it; get fully underwritten — not just pre-qualified — so you can move with cash-like certainty the day a release opens, the same approach I use to help my resale buyers win against all-cash offers; and work with an agent who understands new-construction contracts, which differ meaningfully from standard resale purchase agreements on deposits, timelines, and contingencies.

One more Marin-specific note: several communities include below-market-rate homes with their own eligibility requirements and application processes separate from the market-rate sales program. If a BMR opportunity may fit your situation, identify the community's program administrator early, because those programs run on their own timelines.

For deeper background on the town at the center of this pipeline, my complete Larkspur guide covers the market, neighborhoods, and lifestyle in detail, and my YouTube channel tracks Marin's market with new videos weekly.

Marin County New Construction: Frequently Asked Questions

What new construction homes are currently for sale in Marin County?

Legacy at Lucas Valley in San Rafael is the only new-home community actively selling in Marin County as of July 2026. The Haven Development community offers 28 single-family homes in the Marinwood area, with plans from about 3,081 to 3,769 square feet and pricing from roughly $3 million per the builder. Every other recent for-sale community in the county has sold out, so remaining new-construction choices are limited to this community and resales of recently built homes.

What is Magnolia Village in Larkspur?

Magnolia Village is a new community of 20 townhomes with ground-floor retail on Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur, California, built on the former Ace Hardware site adjacent to Rustic Bakery. Approved by the City of Larkspur in 2023, it is under construction now, coming in 2027, and the only for-sale townhome community being built in central Marin. The community includes four below-market-rate residences offered through its affordable housing program. More details at imaginemarin.com/magnolia-village-larkspur.

When will Magnolia Village homes go on sale?

Magnolia Village is under construction now and coming in 2027, with the five buildings completing in phases rather than all at once. A formal sales release date has not been announced; pricing, floor plans, and release timing will be published in coming months. Buyers and agents who want to see that information first can join the Magnolia Village First Look List, a no-obligation private register that previews floor plans, pricing, and appointment availability ahead of the public release.

Are there affordable homes at Magnolia Village?

Yes. Magnolia Village includes four below-market-rate residences alongside its 16 market-rate townhomes. The below-market-rate homes are offered through the community's affordable housing program, which has its own eligibility requirements, application process, and timeline separate from the market-rate sales program. Households interested in a below-market-rate home can indicate that interest on the First Look List form and will be directed to the appropriate program information as it is released.

Is the Mallard Pointe project in Belvedere moving forward?

Yes. Belvedere issued the demolition permit for the Mallard Pointe redevelopment in July 2026, and the City Council extended the project's tentative subdivision map to March 19, 2027. The Thompson Dorfman project will replace 22 residences from 1951 with 40 new homes at 1–22 Mallard Road on the Belvedere Lagoon, including for-sale single-family homes along the water plus duplexes and apartments. Sales timing for the for-sale homes has not been announced.

What is replacing Northgate Mall in San Rafael?

Northgate Mall is being redeveloped into Northgate Town Square, an open-air, mixed-use district approved for up to 1,422 residences and roughly 225,000 square feet of commercial space. Interior demolition work began in early 2026, with the remainder of the mall staying open during construction. Most of the new housing will be rental apartments delivered in phases, though plans include about 100 townhomes along the southern edge of the property in a later phase.

Why is there so little new construction in Marin County?

More than 80% of Marin County is permanently protected as parkland, agricultural land, or open space, leaving almost no developable residential land. Most of the buildable land was developed decades ago, so new communities generally require reusing an existing site — a former store, mall, or airfield — and entitlement takes years. The result is structural scarcity: new for-sale communities open rarely, sell out, and convert to resale inventory, which is exactly what happened to Marin's three most recent communities.

How do I get early information on Magnolia Village?

Join the Magnolia Village First Look List at forms.gle/AQQSiYdNENvgeURx8. The First Look List is a private, no-obligation register of buyers and agents who will preview floor plans, pricing, and appointment availability before the public release. You can also read the full community overview at imaginemarin.com/magnolia-village-larkspur or email [email protected] with questions.

Kyle Frazier, JD, CRS, CLHMS, is a Broker Associate at Compass (CA DRE #01405738) and Sales & Marketing Director for Magnolia Village in Larkspur. Third-party community details above are drawn from builder and municipal sources and are current as of July 29, 2026; availability, pricing, and project status change without notice — verify directly with each builder or jurisdiction. This article is not an offer to sell. Magnolia Village pricing and floor plans have not been released.