'Chaos' over San Rafael homeless cabins may have ousted a top city official

"That project is the definition of a fire drill," one city staffer said in the report.

In February, the city hired Swinerton Management & Consulting to erect 65 temporary small cabins for up to 70 people as soon as this spring. After three or four years, a city-contracted housing developer will build permanent affordable housing on the site.

It was framed as an urgent response to Marin County's housing and homelessness crises, but the effort has rapidly become a flashpoint as San Rafael wrestles with its first effort to build a shelter in a residential neighborhood.

San Rafael accounts for 30% of Marin's unhoused population, with 326 individuals counted in 2024 -- the most recent data available.

Supporters say the 350 Merrydale project would reduce the number of encampments, such as a persistent site on Andersen Drive. Crime at these encampments, like last month's fatal stabbing (opens in new tab) of a 28-year-old homeless woman, has residents worried.

The Merrydale site will follow a "housing-first" model that does not require sobriety or treatment as a condition of entry -- a policy tied to the city's declaration last year of a shelter crisis.

"Tackling the homelessness crisis is something that needs a sense of urgency so, in some respects, I can understand the feedback," Alilovich told The Standard. "A lot of people worked really hard under intense deadlines and exceptional circumstances to help move that project forward, so things were definitely hectic at times. I'm grateful to have led that team during the time I was city manager and wish my colleagues and the project nothing but the best."

Alilovich declined to provide a reason for her resignation.

The performance review, which was heavily redacted, states that "staff repeatedly said that Merrydale was not fully discussed with the director team early, and they lacked a shared understanding of the scope, risks and constraints of the property and project."

Another portion says that "many interviewees said key departments were brought in late to discussions of the project, after major decisions (i.e., acquisition of land) or public commitments were already underway."

Despite city leaders expressing concerns about the project, elected officials have emphasized the need for speed.

"The sooner we can open it, the better," Vice Mayor Rachel Kertz told the Marin Independent Journal last week.

San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin and City Council members did not respond to requests for comment.