Alta Woods / Alta Way — Approximate Proposed Driveway Corridor
A fight over a single driveway at one of Marin County’s most storied estates has spilled into lawsuits, leaked closed-door secrets and a referral to the district attorney. The so-called Guitar House at 800 Corte Madera Ave., an 11-acre hilltop property once owned by rock impresario Bill Graham, sits at the center of a dispute that has split neighbors, consumed Town Council meetings, and now landed in court.
The current owners requested town approval in 2024 to build a second, 445-foot driveway connecting Alta Terrace to a rear service road on the property, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The plan was pitched as offering both convenience and emergency wildfire egress, but it immediately ran into fierce neighborhood opposition. As reported by Marin Independent Journal, the project called for removing 47 trees, replacing 32 of them, and building retaining walls ranging from half a foot to more than 12 feet tall, along with a new entry gate, drainage improvements and onsite grading…