On Monday evening, the City Council will also consider authorizing a request to SMART to issue a change-order to facilitate construction of a multi-use pathway from Andersen Drive to Rice Drive. This is a very important north/south bicycle and pedestrian connector that will eventually connect downtown San Rafael to Larkspur. The project would be folded...
We are excited to announce the launch of our new business permitting portal! The portal helps small businesses with their pre-work on researching zoning, fees, and site selection within San Rafael. The tools guide applicants through permitting workflows and estimates permit requirements and costs across all departments so applicants can understand the full scope of...
Also on Monday night, the City Council will hold public hearings to revise the animal control ordinance and update the fees. Proposed changes will incorporate recently approved changes to the Marin County ordinance with regards to potentially dangerous and vicious dogs, veterinarian reporting requirements for rabies vaccinations, and expanding the list of prohibited exotic animals....
Camp Chance is a 5-day residential summer camp with a mix of challenging physical, mental and emotional activities. Over 850 middle school at-risk and underserved youth have benefited from Camp Chance since 1999. San Rafael police officers join with Marin County Sheriff deputies to participate with the kids in all activities; this informal and personal...
Read Part 1 Here Housing "affordability" is often discussed in the context of housing prices, but it is equally dependent on how much we have to spend. For most of us, how much we have to spend is dependent on the wages we earn at our jobs. The Department of Housing & Urban...
Our Public Works crews from our Parks Maintenance Division have been laboriously trimming shrubs and other vegetation on the Las Gallinas median this week. Our Parks Maintenance Division’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. The following compliment on the work came in on our “Contact Public Works” form:
Public Safety Center – Foundation Pour When finished, the Public Safety Center will be the cornerstone of the City’s essential facilities. For now, it’s a big hole in the ground. At the bottom of that hole is a new, massive concrete foundation. The steel and concrete foundation is ready to support the 65,000 sf facility....
Public Works crews from both the Streets and Parks Divisions have begun high weed and vegetation removal throughout the City’s open space and fire trails. Our crews have been hard at work tackling vegetation overgrowth in advance of the upcoming fire season and Marin County Fair.
On November 6, 2017 the City Council accepted a grant award from MTC to modify signal timing to the 54 signalized intersections in Central San Rafael. Synchronization of traffic signals allows for coordination along main arterials, such as Second and Third Streets, to enhance traffic flow, reduce delay and minimize the amount of vehicles stopping at...
Francisco/Bellam to E. Francisco/Tiburon On Friday, May 21, San Rafael Public Works Streets Maintenance Division crews made improvements along the notoriously congested Francisco Boulevard E. and Bellam Boulevard intersection. The work in the area was done to help the backup along Francisco. Along Francisco Boulevard E. from Bellam to Tiburon the center turn lane (previously...
The City has begun its annual street resurfacing project this week. Several streets have already undergone a full grind and contractors began the asphalt overlay. In total, this year’s project will include resurfacing of 4 miles of roadway and the installation of 13 ADA-compliant curb ramps. The project is funded through Gas tax revenues and...
The City’s administrative offices will be closed on Monday, May 28, 2018, in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday. 24-hour operations will remain in effect for the Police and Fire Departments.
On Wednesday, May 16 the City began the timing adjusting of 54 signalized intersections in downtown San Rafael, from Union Street out to Miracle Mile, and from Mission Ave down to 2nd Street. The retiming will reduce travel time between intersections, meaning hitting fewer red lights coming down major arterials in San Rafael such as...
Road closures began last night on Second and Third Street at Grand Avenue and Union Street. As part of the construction of the new Fire Station 52 on Third Street, the City will be replacing a storm drain pipe across the Third Street and Union intersection. Crews will be performing night-time construction this week in...
Lottery Drawing: June 1, 2018 Deadline to receive applications is 10:00 a.m. Application and information can be downloaded from Marin Housing website at www.marinhousing.org under Homeownership Programs/BMR link.
If there are now 12 million fewer people working in the United States, Downtown Streets Team is a local solution that is reversing that trend. DST provides a "work experience" program for people experiencing homelessness. Whether someone has challenges with addiction, mental health, involvement with the criminal justice, or simply long-term unemployment, Team Members volunteer...
At their 7 p.m. meeting on Monday, the City Council will consider amending the City’s municipal code to allow wholesale medical cannabis distribution businesses within the City limits. This action would not approve any cannabis businesses. Rather, it would set up the regulatory framework to allow the City to be able to regulate this type...
Also on Monday, the City Council will receive an update and consider next steps for a multi-use path that will connect 2nd Street to Andersen Drive and parallel the future Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) rail line. The multi-use path would provide a dedicated space for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other active transportation users to use....
At Monday’s meeting, the City Council will also consider two budgetary matters: the Three-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the Measure A - Open Space Work Plan. These two items will be incorporated into the City’s Fiscal Year Budget as part of the budget process next month. The CIP is the long-range plan for all...
The unemployment rate in Marin County is 2.5%. Despite such a strong economy, of the 1,100 people experiencing homelessness in Marin, 85% are unemployed even though only 23% report being unable to work. What explains this disconnect? Labor Participation When it comes to measuring the health of our economy, we often focus on the...
Project Update During the month of April, Alten Construction completed the installation of under-slab rough electrical and plumbing elements, and also completed the placement of underslab rock and vapor barrier at the Living Quarters. CMU installation continued at the Apparatus Bay and Utility Rooms. Selected steel elements (ledgers and columns) and steel door frames were...
Project Update During the month of April, Alten Construction continued work on the Fire Station Building, the Training Classroom and the Training Tower. The Training Tower foundation slab on grade was placed mid-April. The Tower structure design submittal was approved and in early May the Tower erectors will be on site to begin erection. The...
During the month of April 2018, the weather cleared up allowing Alten to initiate the off haul of the clean material, contaminated material and prepare the building pads for certification. Hauling off of the clean material was a success hauling off approximately 2,500 cubic yards to the airport. During the excavation of the contaminated material...
The City of San Rafael (City) hereby requests proposals from qualified Consultants for the project management and oversight of Automated Traffic Signal Measures (ATSPM) and Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS) Projects. The final product sought is a completed and successful ATSPM implementation meeting all Innovative Deployment of Enhanced Arterials (IDEA) grant funding contract requirements provided...
The Sidewalk Repair Program application period closed on Friday, April 27th. The City received 366 in total applications. This week the City ran the Sidewalk Repair Program lottery and ranked all 366 applications, and sent an email to all applicants informing them of their priority ranking status and what the next steps are: 1 is...
We had our first two Park-A-Month volunteer days on April 21st (Gerstle Park) and May 5th (Sun Valley Park). Both events had a good turnout, with 30 volunteers showing up at Gerstle Park and nearly 50 at Sun Valley. Many saw the event on NextDoor, signs in the neighborhood and volunteer postings on the website....
SMART’s contracting team continues to make progress on Andersen Dr. A team of contractors are simultaneously working to install portions of the multi-use pathway near the railroad crossing, traffic signal infrastructure, and earthwork preparatory to the new railroad tracks being installed. The contracting team is diligently scheduling the phasing of work at the intersection of...
According to the 2017 Homeless Point-in-Time Count, of the 1,100 people experiencing homelessness in Marin, only 15% were employed. Despite this very low rate of employment, of the people who were unemployed, only 23% reported being unable to work. Therefore, there is a tremendous opportunity to help people experiencing homelessness in Marin reenter the workforce. ...
Bike to Work Week encourages commuters and others to get out of their car and use a bicycle to get to and from their work. Safe paths for bicyclists are essential to make riding a real possibility for commuters. The City will conduct a one week pilot project from May 7 to 11 to coincide with Bike...
Quality of Life in San Rafael The City of San Rafael is a great place to live, do business, raise a family and retire. Our city services, including public safety, parks and recreation, contribute to the quality of life that makes San Rafael such a desirable place to live. On March 6, 2018, the City...