City Council · meeting of Aug 19
Old Landfill Forces Piper Park Marsh Plan to Petaluma
At Piper Park's former dog park site, excavation for a tidal marsh restoration required under the Bon Air Bridge replacement permits ran into tires, pipe, and wood debris from an old landfill, triggering a stop-work order from Marin County Environmental Health.
“the official and formal and legal dump was run by and shut down by the county”— Council member, clarifying Piper Park's landfill history for the record
Public Works Director Julian Skinner told the council the discovery forced a two-year search for an alternative, and staff now recommend buying wetland mitigation credits off-site instead: a $115,650 reservation agreement (a 25% deposit) with the privately run Halo Ranch Mitigation Bank in Petaluma. Council approved the deal via Resolution 6326.
Residents who've watched the site sit half-dug were unhappy. A 46-year Boardwalk resident called the excavation "a bit of a fiasco," citing deteriorating plastic tarps blowing into the marsh, bent fencing, and growing piles of gravel and dirt encroaching on the wetland. Resident and biologist Jillian Schultz argued other California cities have successfully removed landfill debris and restored marshes, noting the Bay Area has lost 90 percent of its historic marshland; another commenter asked why the city couldn't just fully excavate the toxic debris now rather than leave it for later.
A council member acknowledged Piper Park has an undocumented dumping history but stressed for the record that "the official and formal and legal dump was run by and shut down by the county," not the city. Staff warned that abandoning the mitigation requirement outright could bring fines, jeopardize future regulatory approvals, and put federal funding at risk.
City Council · meeting of Aug 19
Residents Press Council for a Real Flood Plan Before Winter's King Tides
With forecasters watching a possible "super El Nino" collide with record king tides late this year, residents used public comment to push Larkspur for more than the usual sandbag routine.
“I'm concerned how the city of Larkspur is preparing for this winter's El Nino storms combining with king tides and sea level rise along Corte Madera Creek... this is not the same old same old go get some sand for sandbags in Piper Park.”— Joan Lundstrom, former mayor and former Chair of the Corte Madera Creek Flood Control District
Former mayor Joan Lundstrom, who once chaired the Corte Madera Creek Flood Control District, warned that "this is not the same old same old go get some sand for sandbags in Piper Park" and asked for a coordinated, worst-case plan — including scenarios where flooding on Bon Air Road cuts off access to Marin General Hospital and snarls the Greenbrae interchange.
Marina resident Corey Berkin described over $50,000 in damage to his home from January flooding, with water up to his car's tires, and asked when blocked storm drains and outfall pipes in his neighborhood would finally be cleared and documented.
The city manager said a new staff-level task group with Central Police and Fire is standing up tabletop exercises and targeted outreach to vulnerable neighborhoods, but acknowledged a wrinkle: this year's tidal almanac predictions have been running about half a foot off, complicating planning.
City Council · meeting of Aug 19
Blocked From Local Green Building Rules, Council Weighs Incentives Instead
A state moratorium under AB130 — enacted after a court struck down Berkeley's natural-gas ban — currently bars Larkspur from adopting its own "reach code" requiring greener construction, so staff walked the council through what's left: voluntary incentives.
“It's a an ethical or moral decision that we just have to make... if we want people to do this we should be willing to step up and say fine we'll... supplement you to do it.”— Council member, during the Cal Green workshop
Staff recommended a wait-and-see approach, noting no California jurisdiction has yet won approval for a reach code under AB130's exceptions, and suggested non-financial carrots like floor-area-ratio bonuses or reduced parking requirements for projects that add solar, batteries, or EV charging.
One council member framed it more bluntly: "It's a an ethical or moral decision that we just have to make... if we want people to do this we should be willing to step up and say fine we'll... supplement you to do it." Staff cautioned that tying safety-based FAR and parking standards to electrification incentives is complicated, since new remodeled space must already meet the current Cal Green baseline.
Council directed staff to work with the Climate Action Forum on targeted incentives — focused on heating/cooling and water heating for residential remodels, and EV infrastructure for commercial and multifamily projects — along with a cost-benefit analysis, and to report back in about six months.