Marin Transit officials can’t wait for San Rafael city leaders to jump for joy as the public bus operator plans to buy up a long-vacant lot on East Francisco Boulevard.

In 2020, the city approved plans to build a 185-room Hilton hotel complex on the site. The five-story hotel was touted as “a welcoming beacon at the gateway to San Rafael.” Aside from being a landmark structure, the hotel would have also promised jobs and ongoing tax revenue to the city.

Those plans never made it past the city-approved building plans, and the site ended up on Marin Transit’s list of potential sites for the new bus terminal the company had long been eyeing.

By a vote of 6 to 1, the transportation district approved a $14 million purchase agreement that includes potentially converting the 3.5 acres into a bus hub for its fleet.

Not surprisingly, the lone “no” vote came from Maribeth Bushey, a San Rafael City Council member and district board member.

The location makes sense for a bus hub. It is across the highway from the Golden Gate Transit bus terminal and the Marin Airporter facility. Its proximity to Highway 101 is also an advantage.

The site is also close to the Kerner Boulevard property that the district acquired for its paratransit operations.

It is also located on the edge of the Canal neighborhood, whose residents rely heavily on Marin Transit buses.

But the planned hotel promises neither jobs nor tax revenue. If the public institution owned the property, the property tax that the city collects for the land would even be eliminated.

San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin added that converting the site at 1075 Francisco Blvd. East (corner of Castro Avenue) into a bus station also perpetuates the “systems of inequality” that plague the Canal neighborhood.

Compared to a hotel, a bus station cannot compete by far.

But the transit district has been looking for a new depot for a decade. Currently, its fleet of 114 buses and paratransit vehicles is spread across land the district leases. Centralizing operations will increase efficiency and reduce costs. In addition, the project is largely funded by a federal grant that could be equipped to allow the system’s fleet to be converted to electric-powered buses.

The District Council states that it remains open to discussions about other potential uses that could be implemented on the site and that public relations will also play a role in the decision-making process regarding use and design.

We hope that the district keeps this promise.

The property is located at the eastern gateway to the city, and its design and the creation of space for complementary uses could help alleviate some of the understandable concerns of city leaders.