Boyle Park's first master plan in 35 years goes to City Council Monday

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Today's newsletter: Boyle Park's first master plan in 35 years goes to City Council tomorrow. Plus: the day Mill Valley said goodbye to 36 of its neighbors, a structure fire on Cornelia Avenue, and everything happening in Mill Valley next week.

- Written and edited by Franz Strasser-Galvis

The last time Mill Valley produced a master plan for Boyle Park, a Bush was in the White House - and it wasn't W. That was 1991, according to city project records. The first update since then goes before City Council this week: a plan assembled over two years, at least four Parks and Recreation Commission meetings, two community workshops and enough public comment to fill hundreds of PDF pages.

The plan organizes 43 individual improvements into 13 priority areas, estimated at $8.6 million to $10.7 million in total. It does not authorize or fund any construction. What it does is give the city an official document to point to when making future budget decisions.

How it came together: The Parks and Recreation Commission formed a working group in August 2023, according to city project records. It included representatives from the tennis community, Mill Valley Soccer Club, Mill Valley Little League, dog owners, Stream Keepers, neighbors and playground regulars. In September 2024, City Council authorized a contract with RHAA Landscape Architecture and Planning at a total cost of $145,893, according to the April 2026 staff report.

A community survey drew 694 responses in early 2025. Two in-person workshops followed. By October 2025, RHAA had presented three design alternatives to the commission. By December, a working group had collapsed those three into one recommendation. Staff and commissioners reviewed multiple drafts through April before the commission voted to send the plan to council.

What the community said it wanted: (according to the RHAA survey results)

The most requested new amenity was a pump track. According to an assessment by Dylan Bailey, a licensed landscape architect and pump track designer with Parametrix, the park cannot accommodate a full facility. The available site tops out at roughly 4,600 square feet, less than half the minimum required for an all-ages track. The final plan does not include one.

Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Naomi Gray told the Briefing the commission committed to pursuing a feasibility study to find a suitable location elsewhere in Mill Valley. "Once the request was better understood," she said, "it was clear that a larger area outside of Boyle Park would be the best way to meet the community's request."

The dog park question divided the room. At the June 2025 workshop, 16 people cast sticker votes for a fenced dog area. Fifteen wrote comments specifically requesting no fenced dog area, according to workshop notes compiled by RHAA. The draft plan includes dog etiquette signage and waste stations - both as Priority 1 items. It does not include a fenced area.

Where the debates landed: The lighting recommendation drew opposition from two directions. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition supported it specifically on safety grounds, citing its value for women using the park at night. Two adjacent residents raised wildlife habitat and night sky concerns. Warren Wells, the coalition's policy and planning director, told the Briefing that those concerns could likely be addressed in the design phase. Pedestrian path lighting is low-intensity, he said, and "would almost certainly not have any night sky impacts."

The spine path generated the most substantive legal challenge. Wells flagged that the draft described the path as a "pedestrian pathway": a term that under the Mill Valley Municipal Code could exclude cyclists. At the April commission meeting, former commissioner Chris Carney, attending as a member of the public, pointed the commission to the specific pages where pedestrian-only language appeared.

The commission voted to remove the word "pedestrian" and change "walkway" to "pathway" throughout the document, according to commission records. Gray said the change came in response to feedback from the room. "This was a great catch," she said. "The intention is to increase ease of movement around and through the park in an efficient, safe and accessible manner."

She added that the plan is not intended to be the final word on execution. "The recommendations are included to inform City Council and allow them to budget," she said. "If Council chooses to pursue improvements to pathways, more work and conceptual planning will be done with experienced leads."

Wells told the Briefing the legal ambiguity remains. "We believe that bicycles should not be prohibited, given the importance of the path in the city's transportation network," he said, adding that the proposed 8-foot width will likely result in user conflict.

Warner Creek sits at Priority 9 with costs still to be determined: the only item in the plan without a price tag. Mike Mooney, vice president of the Mill Valley StreamKeepers, said the creek is home to steelhead, listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, and that invasive plants and fish passage barriers are the most urgent concerns. Should the mitigation proposal advance, StreamKeepers may also be able to pursue a restoration project at no cost to the city, Mooney told Mill Valley Briefing.

The basketball hoop sits at Priority 10, behind 32 items in priorities 1 through 9. Neighbors on Elm Avenue submitted written objections before the commission vote, citing noise and safety concerns based on a previous informal setup at the same location. The hoop was not among the amenities residents identified as priorities in the community survey.

Not every request made the cut. One resident at the May 2025 workshop suggested the city install a public pay phone in the park. No reason was recorded.

What's already in the pipeline: According to the April 2026 staff report, the city has already submitted three Boyle Park projects for the 2026/27 capital budget: tennis improvements, the pro shop, and picnic area upgrades, totalling about $580,000. Everything else depends on future budget decisions, Measure L infrastructure funds, grants and community fundraising. The full plan would cost between $8.6 million and $10.7 million to build.

Gray offered a concrete vision for what success looks like in five years: tennis courts rebuilt within the next two-year budget cycle, Boyle Park included in every capital improvement plan for the next five years, and a new accessible play element in the playground within three years. "I think success would begin with City Council adopting the report and selecting a few priorities to begin with," she said.

Mill Valley Briefing submitted questions to city staff before publication and we will follow up with the city on implementation timelines and funding sequencing after Monday's vote.

On the morning of May 17, 1942, two buses left the Mill Valley bus depot. One carried 36 residents of Japanese ancestry. The other carried their luggage. Many had lived in Mill Valley for 40 years: carpenters, gardeners, laundrymen, a shoemaker, a beautician. Most lived on Bernard Street, just off Lytton Square.

Three months earlier, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Across California, Oregon and Washington, some 120,000 people were sent to internment camps.

In Mill Valley, that meant 36 neighbors boarding buses at dawn with only what they could carry. When they were gone, goldfish still swam in the garden ponds they had tended for decades, wrote the Mill Valley Record on May 19, 1942.

Mamoru Kanki told the Record before he left: "We shall come back when we can. Mill Valley is in our blood." Also among those on the buses was Akio Sameshima, one of the top scholars in the graduating class at Tamalpais Park School, who told his classmates at a farewell party: "I hope that where I go I shall find as good friends as I have in Mill Valley."

Kanki served in the US Military Intelligence Service during the war and settled in Chicago. Sameshima settled in Denver, where he died in 2013 at the age of 85. Neither returned to Mill Valley.

Harry Okubara was one of the few that returned. He had run a chicken ranch on what is now Montford Avenue in Homestead Valley since at least 1918, was sent to Amache internment camp in Colorado, and came back after the war to reclaim his property and go into gardening.

The lane running through the old ranch site was named in their honor: Cherry Blossom Lane.

Sources: Mill Valley Record, May 15 and May 19, 1942; Bruce Coleman, "She's the Mayor of Montford Avenue," 1988; Mill Valley Historical Society, The Loop, January 2015; FamilySearch genealogical records; National Veterans Network registry; Pacific Citizen, November 1948.

A structure fire on Cornelia Avenue broke out Saturday morning, drawing five apparatus and 18 personnel from Southern Marin Fire District and partner agencies including Tiburon Fire Department, Central Marin Fire Department and Mill Valley Police Department. According to SMFD, the structure sat up a hill and at a distance from the road, requiring crews to lay hundreds of feet of hose to reach it.

Firefighters found fire on the first floor of a multi-story residence and brought it under control in about 15 minutes. The fire did not spread to the upper floors. All residents and pets evacuated safely. According to Mill Valley Police Department, Cornelia Ave was briefly closed between Summit and Lovell before reopening. The cause is under investigation.

🚲 Two informal bike jump sites used by Mill Valley kids for decades are gone. One removed by the school district, one demolished by Marin County. We went to the Scott Valley site, waded through the mud to see what was left, and reported on why Boyle Park isn't the replacement some hoped it would be.

🚨 More than four in ten Mill Valley households have no emergency alert coverage. We reviewed the AlertMarin enrollment data, ranked Mill Valley among Marin jurisdictions, and reported on who is hardest to reach and what the commission is doing about it.

🚴 Mill Valley adopted a new yardstick for cycling progress. The city is partnering with PeopleForBikes to track its infrastructure annually. Current score: 37 out of 100, flat since 2018. We also reported on a federal grant application that would fill sidewalk gaps on six corridors near five local schools.

🏫 Mill Valley Middle School's renovation cleared its last procedural hurdle Thursday. We reported on when construction starts, what the noise policy means for neighbors and when students are expected back in the renovated building.

🛝 Edna Maguire is getting a $1.6 million playground overhaul, with a new play structure for the youngest students, resurfaced courts, a gaga pit and a redesigned garden. Paid subscribers got the details on what's changing and when construction starts.

Next week: the school district's new lunch provider was chosen partly by sixth grade taste testers. We'll have more from Thursday's board meeting, including a parent's pointed public comment about middle school math scores.

Mon, May 18 – City Council Meeting, Mill Valley City Hall, 5:30pm. Regular meeting of the Mill Valley City Council. Residents can attend in person or watch the livestream on the city's website.

Mon, May 18 – Original Pattern Trivia Night, The Junction, 7pm. Monthly trivia with our friends at Original Pattern Brewing. This all-ages event features free entry, prizes for top teams, and beer garden vibes. 226 CA-1, Mill Valley.

Tue, May 19 – Dead At The Junction Hosted By Alex Jordan, The Junction, 6pm. A free, all-ages show featuring Alex Koford, T.J. Kanczuzewski, Jeremy Hoenig, and more. Carpooling or biking is encouraged due to limited parking.

Tue, May 19 – Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8pm. The weekly stand-up tradition continues with a fresh lineup of professional comics.

Wed, May 20 – Tam Valley Speaker Series, Tam Valley Community Center, 6pm to 8pm. A senior resource discussion on "Aging in Place" with Donna Bailey and a presentation on lifelong learning from ESCOM. Free event; RSVP encouraged.

Wed, May 20 – Mustache Harbor, The Junction, 7pm. Hardcore soft rock from the 70s and 80s. Tickets are $30 in advance. This is an outdoor, all-ages event; no dogs or outside food permitted.

Thu, May 21 – Trivia Night, Depot Café and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Co-hosts Robert Del Secco and Sheridan lead a night of quiz show fun and "group therapy" for those who know too much about obscure topics.

Thu, May 21 – Augustana: All the Stars and Boulevards (20th Anniversary), Sweetwater, 8pm. An intimate solo performance by Dan Layus, playing the platinum-selling debut album in its entirety. All ages; doors open at 7:00pm.

Fri, May 22 – Musical Feast, Depot Café and Bookstore, 5:30pm. An alt-country-folk-rock ensemble blending Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, and Springsteen with guitars, flute, violin, and harmonies.

Fri, May 22 – Soul Ska, Sweetwater, 8pm. The Bay Area’s premier ska and rocksteady ensemble takes the legendary stage. All ages; doors at 7:00 pm.

Sat, May 23 – Pictures from Home, Marin Theatre, 2pm & 7:30 pm (Sun, 2pm). Sunday’s show features a post-show talkback with cast.

Sat, May 23 – The Northern Still, Depot Café and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Live music on the plaza featuring folk-influenced roots rock.

Sun, May 24 – Marin Bluegrass Sessions, Sweetwater, 12pm to 2pm. A monthly open bluegrass jam in collaboration with the California Bluegrass Association. Intermediate to advanced players are welcome to the mic. Free community event; doors at 11:30am.

Sun, May 24 – Allan Bond & Skidadle, Depot Café and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Live local performance spanning jazz and roots styles.

Sun, May 24 – King Yellowman, Sweetwater, 8pm. The legendary Jamaican dancehall pioneer and "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" artist performs a high-energy set. All ages; doors open at 7:00pm.

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- Franz

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