Town Council Meeting Agenda

for March 14, 2023
Note: earlier meeting 

start time at 6:30pm

The Town Council will be discussing the following items at their next Council meeting on March 14,2023 at 6:30 pm:

Council Items include:

• Receive presentation by the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District on the status of the San Anselmo Flood Risk Reduction (SAFRR) project.
• Receive presentation and provide direction to staff on next steps regarding the Transportation Assessment of the Hub Study Report. 
• Consider approval of ‘San Anselmo 2023 Live on the Avenue’ Music Series, Event
  Application, Street Closures and Budget appropriation.
• Receive presentation and provide direction to staff on list of priority
  projects for the American Rescue Plan Act State & Local Fiscal Relief
  Funds 

The full agenda and further information can be found on the Town website: HERE

Please add your email to receive notifications and agendas for the Town Council meetings or any other Town public meetings: HERE

Hub Study Report 

Presentation at Town Council Meeting on March 14

The Hub is a major crossroads in Ross Valley, connecting Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and Miracle Mile/Center Boulevard, and is the most congested intersection in Marin County with over 65,000 cars per day traveling through the intersection.

The Hub is often overcapacity and motorists regularly experience delays of 20 minutes or more. The Hub is not pedestrian or bicycle friendly and it is functionally disconnected from the Town’s commercial and civic centers.

A $350,000 grant was awarded by the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) for the Town to undertake a planning study to provide an alternatives analysis of potential congestion relief and multi-modal solutions for the busy Hub intersection, which include but are not limited to, additional lanes, grade separation between specific movements, and rerouting specific movements. This funding allowed the Town to study alternatives and consider traffic, safety, and right-of-way. 

In November 2020 Parisi Transportation Consulting (Parisi) was approved by Town Council for the consulting contract to study these issues. The study team, led by Parisi, considered short, medium and long-term solutions and their impacts on traffic, safety, and right-of-way. The study was carried out using an iterative approach that reviewed baseline conditions, developed multi-modal improvement concepts based on project goals, and incorporated community and stakeholder input (including two community workshops, a site meeting held with active transportation advocates, and three meetings with local transit organizations) culminating in short and long-term recommendations. 

The final Hub Transportation Study was also presented to the San Anselmo Planning Commission on March 6, 2023.

Memorial Park  - New Fields
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!

Opening Day of SA Baseball & Softball
Saturday, March 18, 2023
10:00 AM

The refurbished Memorial Park fields are open and ready for the community!  Please join us for a quick celebration and to kick-off baseball and softball season -  in the Meadow, behind the ball fields (near the picnic table area).

Master of Ceremonies:  Rod Kerr - Parks & Recreation Commissioner
Ribbon Cutting: Mayor Steve Burdo and Vice Mayor Eileen Burke

Questions? Please contact: recreation@townofsananselmo.org or 415/ 258-4640

Downtown Block Party! 

Friday, March 24
5:00 - 9:00pm

For the second year in a row, the Chamber of Commerce and Longway are hosting a celebration for the community in the way of a block party. The party, which will be car-free, is happening on San Anselmo Avenue between Tamalpais and Magnolia Avenues.  There will be a vinyl DJ stationed in the Longway parklet, kids activities, an art show, and an appearance by a youth band. This is their way of saying "thank you" to the community and reminding them that what makes San Anselmo special is the local restaurants and merchants who work hard to serve the community and provide an unmatched culture.

Historical Commission Announces:
 New Online Photo/Artifact Catalog

The San Anselmo Historical Commission is dedicated to preserving and sharing our town’s history and is excited to announce the launch of a new publicly accessible Online Catalog of photographs and artifacts from the Historical Museum’s collection.

The Museum has collected and preserved a collection of over 2,000 photographs and numerous artifacts and archival documents. The new catalog enhances the Commission’s goal to foster an understanding and appreciation of the history of San Anselmo and its place in the history of Marin. The online catalog is a work in progress, and more items will be added in the coming months.

Have you seen the beautiful new light pole banners on San Anselmo Avenue featuring images of our Town of yesteryear? Special thanks go to the San Anselmo Community Foundation, The Town of San Anselmo, and the San Anselmo Historical Society for their generous donations. Hopefully the banners will encourage residents and visitors alike to visit the Historical Museum in-person or online.

For more information, check out the San Anselmo Historical Museum website: HERE

The California Department of Housing & Community Development
Acknowledges Receipt of the Draft Housing Element

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has acknowledged the Town's submittal of the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element. It was sent to the HCD on January 26, 2023.  

For more information about the Housing Element and the next steps regarding the HCD staff review, please visit the Housing Element Update webpage on the Town website or click HERE

Public comment continues to be vital to the process.
Please direct any comments or questions to:
Heidi Scoble, Planning Director hscoble@townofsananselmo.org

Art Talk Tuesday: Sargent and Spain

Tuesday, March 14 12:00pm noon
Council Chambers OR on Zoom

American artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is known as the society portrait painter of the Gilded Age. A lifelong expatriate, Sargent made seven visits to Spain from 1879 to 1912, resulting in a remarkable body of work. Sargent and Spain, an exhibition on view at the Legion of Honor, will present an array of the artist’s dazzling oils, watercolors, and drawings, along with never-before-exhibited photographs showcasing Spain’s people, architecture, and magnificent rural and urban landscapes. Kathryn Zupsic will present live in the Council Chambers and will immerse you in the rich culture of Spain and Sargent’s vibrant depictions of the country’s churches, coastlines, and dancers.

Can’t join us in-person? Click here to join us virtually on Zoom!

David Epstein, 

author of Range and The Sports Gene

Monday, March 13 at 10:00 am

What's the most effective path to success in any domain? It's not what you think. You’re invited to find out during a conversation with New York Times bestselling author David Epstein as he chats about his most recent book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Register for this virtual author talk here: https://libraryc.org/sananselmolibrary/24342

Pam Jenoff, 
author of Code Name Sapphire

Tuesday, March 28 at 4:00 pm

Join us for an exciting trip through time as we chat with New York Times bestselling historical fiction author Pam Jenoff about her newest book, Code Name Sapphire! Inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice, Code Name Sapphire is a powerful novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times. Register for this virtual author talk here: https://libraryc.org/sananselmolibrary/24846

TOWN BOOKS - NEW ART SHOW

Connie Kirk, Painter

March & April, 2023

Connie creates abstract, figurative, and plein air landscape paintings. Her early work was influenced by the French and Post Impressionists, but she also works with abstract design and color to ignite wonder and excitement for the natural world. Her work is displayed in galleries and private collections across the country.

TOWN BOOKS
411 San Anselmo Avenue, San Anselmo
HOURS: Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00am–4:00pm   
INFO: 415.526.3791  townbooks.org

Town Books is run by the Friends of the San Anselmo Library - all profits are donated to the San Anselmo Library.

Please Support the 

Hanging Flower Baskets in
Downtown San Anselmo

This will be our 5th year of enhancing the Avenue with beautiful hanging flower baskets from May - October.

The flower basket program is a volunteer effort and relies on donations from the Town, the merchants and the community. Each year these baskets draw such an overwhelmingly positive response that we are committed to keeping them going. We are especially grateful to have Ed Healy (aka "Indy") on our team to water the baskets every day. 

A special thank you to the Town of San Anselmo and the Chamber of Commerce for their support and donations. And also to the residents and merchants who have supported us for the past four years. We couldn't do it without you!
 
There are two ways you can contribute:

1. Donate by visiting the program’s:  GO FUND ME PAGE   or
2. Mail a check payable to:  
   SA Friends of the Flower Baskets
   P.O. Box 2844, San Anselmo, CA 94979

For more information about this project contact: Nancy Altman at nnaltman@me.com