Posts Tagged ‘City of Mill Valley’
Planting the Future: The Outdoor Art Club Gets Ready for Its Next Century
If you’ve walked past the shingled building tucked behind the wisteria-covered gate at 1 West Blithedale Avenue lately, you may have noticed something: the Outdoor Art Club has been busy. In fact, over the past three years, the Club — one of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce’s longtime members — has quietly undertaken a once-in-a-century effort to preserve and renew one of downtown’s architectural gems. The club has hosted generations of civic gatherings, performances, celebrations, and community conversations – but few people remember that in the 1930s it narrowly escaped demolition when the City proposed turning the site into a parking lot. Now, the Club’s members have once again rolled up their sleeves to care for this landmark — this time by ensuring it meets modern safety and health standards while preserving its historic character.
Read MoreCouncilmembers, Planning Commissioners, Staff and Residents Continue Their Efforts to Dive Deeply Into a Reconsidering of Up Dated Parking Regulations – MV Will Eliminate Parking Requirements for New Businesses Downtown
Councilmember Joachim mentioned possible underutilized parking lots, particularly the private lot adjacent to the Depot Plaza. “Requires a willing property owner,” she noted. “We do have these private lots that are underutilized. The discussion concluded until later in the fall, but teased the possibility of dealing with formula businesses by identifying businesses above the 5,000 foot threshold, which applies to the larger buildings that are part of the downtown core area – not Miller, not Safeway. You could apply for a conditional use permit to have no parking if you are doing a non-expansion renovation or change of use to a building that was more than 5000 sq feet.
Read MoreOne Year After Its Mill Valley Comeback, The Hivery Thrives as a Women-Fueled Hub for Community, Creativity, and Growth!
“This space is our comeback kid and a testament to the resilience of women-owned business. We fought for years to bring this concept back into a brick-and-mortar offering, and it took tenacity and courage to make that happen. We did this because of our belief in the impact of women supporting women and spaces that celebrate women’s brilliance,” says Grace Kraaijvanger, Founder of The Hivery. The light-filled space includes open coworking and inspiration areas, private nooks, dedicated event space, and a sunlit backyard lounge. Built largely with upcycled and curated materials, the design reflects The Hivery’s commitment to sustainability and intentional beauty. Over the past twelve months, The Hivery has welcomed hundreds of women from across Marin, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area for weekly community lunch and discussion gatherings, creativity sessions, professional development workshops, restorative retreats, mentorship circles, networking events, coworking, and its signature 12-week Incubator Program.
Read MoreCity Hall Has Nearly 60 Projects It Wants to Accomplish – Vitality, Branding Mill Valley as a Destination, Signage, Farmers Market… Councilmember Urban Carmel: “It’s More Like a 5-Year Plan.”
In the latter part of 2025, the Mill Valley City Council, led by then-incoming Mayor Max Perrey, made it clear that the intentions for the City of Mill Valley were bold. That has become increasingly clear in 2026, with Perrey and the rest of the City Council unveiling a Work Plan that spans nearly 60 projects it seeks to accomplish or launch over the next two years. The to-do list includes building a public works complex and multimillion-dollar renovations at the golf course clubhouse and library. It includes creating a recurring “Miller Nights” event series where streets would be closed for music, dining and kids’ activities. The list also includes extending local taxes and raising new revenues, developing affordable housing, updating traffic signals and transit options, making progress on sea-level rise and wildfire protection, further streamlining the permit process and expanding neighborhood and community-wide events.
Read MoreThe Mercury News: Are California Businesses Overregulated? This Researcher Compared Requirements Across States
For decades, business leaders have complained that California’s regulatory climate has overburdened companies across the state, blaming a morass of rules, permits and paperwork for pushing businesses and jobs out of state and holding back economic growth. To help measure the impact of the regulations, the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, sought to compare the number of business requirements in the state with those in other parts of the country. In a new report, researchers with the PPIC found that while California is not an outlier nationwide when it comes to state and local business regulations, it has by far the most specific constraints on businesses — defined as regulations containing the words “shall,” “must,” “may not,” “required” and “prohibited.” Researchers found states with more of these types of strict regulations — ranging from environmental standards to consumer safety protections — tend to see fewer new businesses forming, though the report stopped short of establishing a definitive causal relationship.
Read MoreScenes from Marin Sanitary Service in San Rafael: New Report Lays Out Just How Bad California’s Recycling System Is – Will New Legislation Change Anything?
California acts as a model for environmental legislation across the country, spearheading strict regulations and pushing the boundaries on climate action. Even still, its recycling rates remain dismally low. A recent report from CalRecycle, the state agency that oversees recycling and waste disposal in California, estimates just how few of our milk cartons, peanut butter jars and takeout containers actually end up being properly recycled. Spoiler alert: The results are enough to make any concerned citizen feel miserable about the prospect of their yogurt container getting new life. Despite California’s best efforts, no material category came in anywhere near a recycling rate of 100%. The biggest offenders were aseptic and gable-top cartons — the common containers of milk, juice and broth — with less than 1% of those materials recycled.
Read MoreThe Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Mill Valley & Blue Muse Sound Healing Hosts a Sound Bath Experience: Jan. 30, Doors at 5:30pm, Sound Healing 6pm-7pm, 10 Old Mill Street, Mill Valley, Tix: $33.95, advance, $40 at Door
We are delighted to welcome Blue Muse Sound Healing back to the Church of Our Saviour for an evening of deep relaxation, renewal, and gentle transformation. Join us for a soothing sound journey designed to help you release stress, reset your nervous system, and reconnect with a sense of calm and balance through Blue Muse’s beautiful and intuitive musical gifts. Whether you are seeking rest, rejuvenation, or simply a peaceful pause from daily life, this immersive sound healing experience offers a nourishing space to unwind and restore. Event Details: January 30, doors open at 5:30pm, sound healing is 6pm-7pm, 10 Old Mill Street, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Tickets: $33.95 in advance. $40 at the door.
Read MoreOn January 12, City Council Considers Reapproving Bayfront Terrace Project With a Modified Project Footprint for the Site of 1.60 acres & No Additional Changes to the Design – Hearing is at 5:30pm at City Hall
On January 12, City Council Considers Reapproving Bayfront Terrace Project With a Modified Project Footprint for the Site of 1.60 acres & No Additional Changes to the Design – Hearing is at 5:30pm at City Hall. In a previous post, “We have an opportunity to change the life trajectory of 44 families,” Councilman Urban Carmel added. “Nothing can change your life trajectory more than the place you grew up in. This is really exciting and gratifying – I can’t imagine a better moment.”
Read MoreMarin-Based Professional Photographer Michelle Susoev Was Presented with the 20th Annual Black and White Spider Awards First Place in the Category of Portrait at a Photo photo Show Earlier This Month!
Professional photographer Michelle Susoev of Marin County, United States was presented with the 20th Annual Black and White Spider Awards First Place in the category of Portrait at a prestigious Nomination & Winners photo show that streamed Saturday, December 6, 2025. The Photo Show will remain on rotation until December 21 and Michelle’s winning work will be showcased on the walls of the virtual winners gallery opening December 21. The live online gala was attended by industry leaders and the photography community from around the globe who logged on to watch the climax of the world’s premier event for black and white photography.
Read MoreMarin IJ: Marin Officials Question Projections in Regional Growth Plan – Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+
While the number of Marin households is projected to grow from 108,000 to 131,000 by 2050, the job growth is projected to be stagnant, with a job base remaining at 126,000 over the same time period, the plan says. Across the region, the plan anticipates a population growth of about 7.7 million to 9.6 million, which is nearly four times the forecast provided by the California Department of Finance. Mill Valley Mayor Max Perrey said city officials agree that MTC and ABAG need to revise their projections and develop better mitigations to address impacts to wildfire risk, water supply, emergency services, air quality and flooding, among other issues. “The regional growth forecast the plan relies on differs from the state’s official projections, and it doesn’t take into account the changing economy, both the impact that AI will have on the workforce as well as vacancy rates for commercial space, which continues to persist,” Perrey said. “It also has a large dependence on major future funding streams that have not been secured for projects, which presents funding risks for infrastructure, for services and hazard mitigation measures.”
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