David Lee Hoffman was forced to leave his Lagunitas property Tuesday after a decadeslong legal battle with Marin County over unpermitted construction at the unusual compound he had called home for 53 years.
82-year-old David Lee Hoffman spent more than five decades building out his Lagunitas property called The Last Resort, turning the two-acre site into an eccentric experiment in self-sufficient living. As NBC Bay Area reports, over the years, he added dozens of structures, water-recycling systems, gardens, and other features without obtaining the permits required by Marin County, eventually putting the property at the center of a lengthy legal fight.
County officials had been aware of the increasingly elaborate compound for decades, but eventually began pursuing Hoffman about 15 years ago over the unpermitted construction. Inspectors red-tagged structures and ordered them removed, but Hoffman continued building, adding to the unusual collection of structures that included a tea refinery, a Tibetan temple, a bell tower, caves for storing tea, and a cement boat he called the Titanic II.
“I guess I’ve always been a troublemaker,” Hoffman told Vice in a 2012 interview.
According to NBC Bay Area, Hoffman had originally intended the property as a place to experiment with ways of living more sustainably. Water from his sinks was routed into a pond for use in his garden, food scraps were converted into fertilizer by worms, and shower water was reused on plants. He had reportedly tried to get permits for some of his experiments, but found that the county's existing rules did not accommodate what he was trying to do.
The dispute eventually became a financial one as well as a legal battle. Hoffman accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines while also paying mounting legal fees. In 2015, NBC Bay Area reported that he owed $350,000 to the county. Hoffman said he had previously agreed to settle the fines for $60,000, while the county disputed his account and said Hoffman had backed out of the agreement.
Hoffman said he believed the county’s concerns went beyond building and safety codes, arguing that the fight was ultimately driven by money.
“Our local government is really broke,” Hoffman told Vice in 2012. “Their revenue was dependent on new construction and building permits. That has dried up, and now they’re having to go after people like me in order to get an income for themselves.”
“When I sold my last company I had to pay $418,000 in taxes—I’ve paid my share. I’ve paid into the system,” he said.
The compound eventually gained recognition beyond the legal dispute. In 2024, the Marin County Architectural Commission unanimously voted to designate the entire site, including its 36 structures, as having architectural significance, citing its artistic value and importance to the history and culture of unincorporated Marin County, but it didn’t stop the court case.
Three weeks before Hoffman left the property, a Superior Court judge ordered him to vacate and appointed a receiver to sell the property. Whoever buys it will reportedly be responsible for addressing the outstanding code violations.
NBC Bay Area reports that Hoffman spent Monday scrambling to remove his belongings, including more than 50,000 pounds of tea, before leaving the property Tuesday morning. He said he would stay with friends while determining what to do next, while supporters have launched a fundraiser aimed at preventing the compound from being demolished.
Local content creator Em-J wrote on social media about Hoffman’s plight, urging residents to support the cause.
“The Last Resort is the last remaining integrated ecological environment, all others having already been destroyed or taken down,” Em-J wrote.
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