Posts Tagged ‘miller avenue’
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 MoreOn the Heels of Multiple Planning Commission Study Sessions, City Council Will Dictate the Road Ahead for Loosening the Rules on Land Use
In prior hearings, food and beverage service remained focused on the possibility of Food Trucks. The updated code provides specific regulations that would apply to all food and beverage service businesses, even those without a use permit. These regulations codify the “good neighbor policy” that is often required as a CUP condition of approval for restaurants. By codifying these regulations, the intention is to reduce the need for CUPs and also provide clear guidance to businesses and staff. City Staff recommended 5,000 square-foot threshold for larger spaces like the former Rite Aid space, but not setting it too high. The Planning Commission felt that the size threshold should be 3,000 in downtown downtown commercial districts. Mill Valley Chamber: “There remains interest in and discussion of food trucks, though none more than Zorba’s at Goodman’s. Mill Valley currently has two very large, very empty historic restaurants, and maybe there is a business that might be interested in giving a food truck a shot and potentially eyeing it for a future brick & mortar business. Maybe that’s backwards thinking…but we should be thoughtful and not restrictive and keep our options open.”
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 MoreEconomic Outlook for 2026 Indicates North Bay at a Crossroads: Economist Robert Eyler Warns of Stagnation, Structural Shifts, Uneven Paths Forward
The North Bay economy is undergoing a profound transition marked by stalled job growth, shifting demographics, housing market stagnation and a wine industry facing long-term restructuring. While the challenges are significant, a noted local economist said opportunities remain — if regional leaders understand the depth of the changes underway and respond with coordinated, realistic strategies. Robert Eyler, an economics professor at Sonoma State University and president of Economic Forensics and Analytics, presented his analysis. Using county-level data, statewide and national trends, he described an economy that is no longer behaving as Californians have historically expected, particularly in regions once seen as beneficiaries of pandemic-era migration. Unprecedented jobs plateau. One of the most striking indicators Eyler presented was California’s prolonged lack of job growth. “We’ve seen about a 24-month period in which we had zero jobs growth in California, which is unprecedented in the recorded history of California’s economy outside of recession,” he said. cross the North Bay, that stagnation shows up in different ways. Sonoma and Marin counties remain below their pre-pandemic labor force levels. Napa County has posted modest gains, while Mendocino County has remained largely flat. “The Bay Area and California economies showed encouraging signs of labor market stabilization in November,” Anderson told the news outlet.
Read MoreAfter a 9-Year-Hiatus, The Redwoods Is Bringing Back the Celebration of Service Awards – This Event Recognizes Individuals of all ages whose service strengthens Mill Valley and enriches the lives of our seniors
As we look forward, we honor our history: after a nine-year hiatus, we are bringing back our beloved Celebration of Service Awards. Founded by Bob Canepa in 1994, this event recognizes individuals of all ages whose service strengthens Mill Valley and enriches the lives of our seniors. On Sunday, April 26th at 2pm, we will proudly revive this tradition, once again free and open to the public. We hope you’ll join us as we recognize community members in five categories: youth service, adult service, resident service, teaching excellence, and public safety.
Read MoreMakers Market at The Lumber Mill Valley Lumber Yard Remains One of the Stalwart Businesses in Town – Now They’re Offering 10% Off for any Mill Valley Chamber Members – Thursday, Dec. 18th, 9am to11am!!
Bianca Wallace runs the original Mill Valley location, and she, like all of our amazing retailers in the 94941, is excited to engage to meet and meet more people in the community. It’s all happening on Thursday, December 18th! To that end, Wallace is hosting an exciting event from 9am-11am at Makers Market, offering 10% off to any Mill Valley Chamber Members. Shop cute and unique goods from Northern Cali’s most talented Makers, while you enjoy the gorgeous view of Mt. Tam, listen to live music, and grab a bite to eat at our monthly outdoor marketplace!
Read MoreWhether It Be Immersive Beauty Indoors or Outdoors, Art is Deep in the 94941 – Let’s Connect With Our Abundance of Creativity and spread More Art, Murals and More in 2026!!
When people think of murals, they often picture large public artworks on commercial buildings—and Mill Valley has a few. But with Mill Valley Murals, co-founders Alex Fong and Lynsey Vera, are expanding that vision, bringing vibrant, personalized art not only to businesses but to homes as well. A local artist and mom, Lynsey’s public works include familiar local favorites such as the red-tailed hawk at BooKoo, the Tam Valley meets Palm Springs scene at the B-Lounge/Tam Junction, and the cool birds of Upside Coffee. Beyond public spaces, Lynsey has also created many private murals in homes across the community—building lasting friendships with neighbors while delivering one-of-a-kind works of art that are as unique as the people who live there.
Read MoreTransit Agencies Across the Bay Area to Begin Accepting Credit & Debit Cards – The Move Follows a Similar Switch by BART
Paying for bus, train and ferry rides across the Bay Area just became a little easier. Beginning Wednesday, riders on nearly every transit agency in the region will be able to use their credit or debit cards — rather than just pre-paid Clipper cards — to pay for all of their trips. The switch to the Tap and Ride system includes every transit system that had used Clipper cards in the past, including Caltrain, the Valley Transportation Authority, AC Transit, SamTrans, Muni, Petaluma Transit, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, SMART train and Golden Gate Transit.
Read MoreMarin IJ Editorial Board: The Future is Bright for Marin Ferries: Golden Gate Ferries, a Bay Area Public Transit Success, is Charting an even Brighter Future.
The Golden Gate Bridge board, which runs the ferries, is planning to spend more than $118 million to build two new boats that are faster and run cleaner than the older boats they will replace. The contract to start construction on the first of the two – a high-speed, 500-passenger vessel – has already been approved.
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