The former Best Western Hotel on Madera Boulevard will become a 150-unit assisted living and memory care facility after the Corte Madera Town Council approved the project at its Tuesday, July 7 public hearing.
The facility, branded "The Ivy at Corte Madera," will replace the hotel at 56 Madera Blvd. with a 171,000-square-foot building containing 118 assisted living units and 32 memory care units. The council adopted Resolution 30/2026 to greenlight the project, though the individual vote tally has not been confirmed in public records available as of publication.
The project is being developed by O&I Development, LLC, the development arm of Irvine-based Oakmont Management Group, which operates more than 100 senior living communities across California, Nevada, and Hawaii. Oakmont will run the facility under its Ivy Living brand.
What it means for Corte Madera's housing numbers
The 118 above-moderate-income units represent 42 percent of the town's above-moderate Regional Housing Needs Allocation and 16.2 percent of its total 725-unit RHNA target for the 2023–2031 cycle, according to the staff presentation delivered at the July 7 hearing.
The project qualifies for a 20 percent density bonus under California's State Density Bonus Law because it is classified as senior citizen housing. That bonus, combined with seven development standard waivers, allows the building to exceed the site's normal limits: a floor area ratio of 0.93 versus the 0.4 maximum, and a height of 43 feet, 4 inches versus the 35-foot limit.
Fees and process
Rather than providing affordable units on-site, the applicant agreed to pay a commercial linkage fee of approximately $1.99 million and a Public Safety Impact Fee of $533,088, according to the staff presentation.
O&I Development filed a preliminary application under Senate Bill 330 on August 11, 2025, and submitted a formal application on December 23, 2025. The project was originally proposed at 165 units before being reduced to 150.
The Planning Commission voted 4-0 on Tuesday, June 9 to recommend approval. Six community members spoke at that hearing; one voiced support and others raised concerns or questions. The commission had held an earlier study session on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, where four of five speakers raised concerns.
The two-and-three-story building will sit at the southwest corner of Madera Boulevard, Tamal Vista Boulevard, and Highway 101. It will include 96 parking spaces, dining rooms, a bar and lounge, an art studio, salon, fitness center, and outdoor terrace. The landscape plan calls for planting 350 trees to replace 108 being removed.
The project is exempt from further environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, based on the town's 2009 General Plan Environmental Impact Report.
How to weigh in
No construction start date or projected opening date has been announced. The next Corte Madera Town Council regular meeting is Wednesday, August 5, 2026. Residents with questions or who want email updates on the project can contact the Planning Division at [email protected] or 415-927-5064.
