Town Council · Tuesday, July 28 meeting
Council weighs opening a private downtown lot to public parking
The week's most consequential item never got past the negotiating-table stage: at Tuesday's meeting, the council considered authorizing the town manager to negotiate and sign an agreement with the owners of 305 San Anselmo Avenue to open their private lot to public parking.
Staff recommended moving ahead and finding the project categorically exempt from environmental review, but the agenda spelled out no specifics \u2014 no proposed rent, hours, or space count. Those terms would emerge only after negotiations began.
No outcome has been reported since Tuesday's meeting, so as of this Sunday it remains an open question whether the town manager has been given the green light to start talking with the property owners.
Town Council · Tuesday, July 28 meeting
An emergency brake on new tobacco licenses
Also on Tuesday's docket: an urgency ordinance to freeze new tobacco retailer licenses immediately while the town studies the issue and drafts permanent rules.
The agenda didn't name any specific retailers or say what prompted the review, only that the ordinance is exempt from CEQA and doesn't touch the Climate Action Plan. Urgency ordinances, unlike normal ones, take effect the moment they're adopted \u2014 meaning any new tobacco license applications could have been put on ice as soon as that night.
Whether the council actually adopted it wasn't reported this week; readers who want certainty should watch for the vote in the minutes once they're posted.
Town Council · Tuesday, July 28 meeting
A small step toward giving up part of a Redwood Road easement
Near 250 Redwood Road, the council considered a resolution of intent to abandon a portion of a public easement next to the property \u2014 the procedural first move in a multi-step process.
Staff called it a minor land-use tweak, categorically exempt from CEQA, that wouldn't change land use or density. The agenda didn't explain why the easement is no longer needed or whether the abandonment was requested by the property owner.
A resolution of intent doesn't finalize anything; further council action would still be required before the easement portion is actually released.