San Anselmo is weighing the future of a downtown resident parking program. The plan would add daytime and overnight permits to help manage the spot-hungry core around Creek Park.
Neighboring Marin towns—Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Rafael, Sausalito—are watching closely. They’re looking for guidance and maybe a template to adapt themselves.
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Overview of the downtown resident parking program
Back in mid-April, San Anselmo’s Town Council signaled renewed interest in a downtown resident parking program. The idea is to earmark daytime and overnight space for residents, workers, and seniors.
This move follows last year’s increase in daytime merchant permits. Some workers took that as a green light to park in front of nearby homes with four-hour meters, which sparked complaints from residents.
The downtown corridor covers about a dozen streets. It includes the Creek Park parking lot, with a mix of 315 four-hour meters and 128 two-hour meters.
Right now, there are 47 overnight permit holders. Overnight stickers cost about $50 per year.
The town proposes daytime stickers for an extra $25 annually. It’s a modest top-up, meant to keep local access while supporting meter upkeep and enforcement.
San Anselmo’s situation isn’t unique. Other Marin communities—like Fairfax and Ross—are grappling with similar downtown parking headaches. They often look to San Francisco’s driveway and permit policies as a benchmark.
Key components under discussion
Staff and councilors are weighing several core questions. Which streets should be included in the program? How should they price and administer permits?
They’re also asking how to keep permits affordable for low-income residents and seniors. Many rely on one- and two-bedroom apartments in towns like San Anselmo, Tiburon, or Corte Madera.
Public input shows that daytime access is crucial for downtown workers and residents. Navigating a crowded curb scene isn’t easy, especially with so many multi-occupant units sharing small apartments in the San Anselmo, Fairfax, and San Geronimo corridors.
Affordability, equity, and public input
The council split on whether fees should require “skin in the game” or be set at levels that won’t deter residents from seeking permits. Some members say a fee structure is necessary to deter street parking abuse and fund enforcement and maintenance.
Others urge waivers or a free first permit to help seniors and low-income households. The tension feels familiar—other towns like Mill Valley and Larkspur are wrestling with the same balancing act.
Public commenters mostly support daytime permits. They point to the parking pressure created by multi-occupant units and compare San Anselmo’s situation to San Francisco’s driveway-parking policies.
The conversation keeps circling back to equity. Can a resident who parks for work during the day get a guaranteed space without breaking the bank?
And how would a first-permit-free option actually work, especially if fees rise for extra permits per household?
Public input highlights
- Support for daytime permits to free up spaces for residents and customers in San Anselmo’s core.
- Arguments for a “first permit free” approach, with fees rising for additional permits within a household.
- Suggestions to model pricing after San Francisco’s rules to maintain consistency with regional expectations.
Next steps and what comes next for San Anselmo and the Marin corridor
Mayor Steve Burdo asked staff to come back with revised proposals. He wants to see options like converting Pine Street’s two-hour meters to four-hour meters and a range of pricing ideas.
The council didn’t take a vote in April. Instead, they told staff to dig into more options and compare them with San Francisco’s parking rules.
Whatever happens here could shape parking policy in places like Sausalito, Ross, and Corte Madera. Those towns are facing similar parking headaches and might be watching closely.
As Marin County’s downtowns—San Anselmo, Fairfax, and others—keep tweaking their parking strategies, residents will probably see more public meetings and fresh data on how meters get used.
There’s a shared goal here: keep our Main Streets lively and walkable, but make sure parking doesn’t push people away. After all, isn’t that small-town feel what makes Marin special in the first place?
Here is the source article for this story: San Anselmo might offer downtown residential parking permits
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