Lawson’s Landing
“SBDC Advisor John DeGatano was extremely personable, always available, patient, succinct and clear in his advice. He took the time to explain terminology, interpret what was going on, and help break down the process into clear actionable steps.”
Profile
Lawson’s Landing is a fishing and boating resort and campground situated at the mouth of Tomales Bay, California. It is one of the few coastal access points where overnight stays are affordable and open for anyone to enjoy beach walks, clamming, boating, camping, fishing, hiking and much more. In addition to providing access to the coast, approximately 465 acres of the 940-acre land are in a conservation easement, which provides scenic preservation, habitat restoration and educational research for endangered species in a rare coastal freshwater wetland.
Since the 1920s, the Lawson family has worked to preserve this land while keeping it open and accessible for generations to come. The Landing was first established in 1929 and the campground has been running since 1957.
This family business is currently owned by two Lawson family cousins and their wives: Mike and Judy Lawson, and Willy and Nicole Vogler. They took over the business from their parents and have plans for improvements to bring in greater eco-efficiencies as well as 20 new cottages for overnight stays. Their children are also involved in the business helping to keep this legacy within the family, and according to the owners are what they live for. It takes all family members’ ingenuity, gifts and passions to make this business work as it includes managing a retail store, a campground, a coastal access point, an environmentally protected region, a wastewater treatment facility, a water well and irrigation system along with stewardship of the land.
Challenge
When the Coastal Act was enacted in 1972 to protect coastal areas and make sure they remained accessible to all income levels, it changed Lawson’s whole business model and how they could use the land. For example, campsite numbers would be greatly reduced, and long-term rental of trailer space would not be allowed going forward. Short-term rentals were required for broader public access. From that day onward, the family has spent much time in land easement negotiations with many different community groups, Marin County and State organizations and incurred a tremendous amount of expenses and financial losses.
Over more than 30 years, in an effort to help protect the land and keep their business open, the Lawson/Vogler family diligently worked with the California Coastal Commission and all stakeholders to make sure they were in accordance with the new regulations and permitting processes. At that time, they had around 100 families renting for long periods on their property, and per new regulations, they were no longer allowed to do this. Also, due to their land being deemed environmentally sensitive, they had to change the layout of their campground, going from 1000 California HCD permitted campsites to 337.
They knew it would be very challenging to keep this business going, but even with offers of many millions to buy them out, they were determined to find a way to make it work as a family business. Each family member has a deep connection and reverence for this land and wanted to further build upon the vision their grandparents started. Throughout the years, from their pockets, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal negotiations to maintain this land and keep their business open.
In 2015, they came to the Marin SBDC for guidance on funding options as well as assistance with developing business plans for future expansions, which would need to get approved by the California Coastal Commission. They wanted to make sure they could pay the bills as they rolled out their plan and needed an outside professional to review all documents to ensure it was realistic and sound.
Game Plan
SBDC Advisor John Degaetano worked with them on the following items:
- Proposal content for California Coastal Commission approval.
- Cost factors and planned expectations for wastewater system, electrical work, and cottages expense.
- Creation of projected revenue and review.
- Participation in discussion with lenders regarding PACE loans.
- Review of proposed loan programs, rates, terms, pros and cons, and comparisons.
- Monitor progress of county records updates concerning parcel ownership.
- Overall support during the long process of application, approval, and finally funding.
“SBDC Advisor John DeGatano recommended we try for a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan, which has a very complicated application process with lots of requirements. Without his advice and recommendations, it would have been challenging for us to get this $4.2M loan. It was essential to have an outside professional to review all our plans and financials to make sure everything was sound and could be approved by the lender as well as the California Coastal Commission.”
Mike Lawson and Willy Vogler, OWNERS, Lawson’s Landing
Results
- Received $4,200,000 in funding from a PACE loan.
- Been able to keep business open for 95 years.
- Retained a total staff of 24 – 10 full-time and 14 part-time.
- Maintains coastal access for all income levels and manages a 337-site campground.
- Contributes to environmental protection of a rare coastal freshwater wetland.
- Weekends are sold out – 1000’s of people visit their land annually.
- Built a 5000 sq ft barn to store equipment and be a work area for maintaining the land along with 75 kW of solar power on its roof to cover most of current electrical demand.
- Grew retail sales to 45% of all revenues.
- Achieved permits to bring in 20 short term (to maximize public beach access) rental cottages and are in the process of building a wastewater facility.
- Preservation of this coastal land for future generations to enjoy overnight stays.
