What's happening: City staff presented amendments to Chapter 8.37 of the Municipal Code in an August 5, 2026 report to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The report says the proposal would let the city permit commercial activity in the Plaza, capped at 12 events per year, and would open a path for a Plaza farmers market subject to Commission and City Council approval.
The proposal would also let one annual Chamber of Commerce event and one city-sanctioned signature event charge admission. The Commission did not recommend the proposal to Council, with Chair Naomi Gray saying it wanted more information first.
Residents gather in the parking lot of Depot Plaza during a recent ‘National Night Out’ event organized by the Mill Valley Police Department. (MVB, Aug 4)
Why it matters: Current code, adopted in 2015 and amended in 2024, bars most commercial activity and admission fees on the Plaza except for the Chamber's Annual Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Event and the Film Festival's galas.
In an April 21, 2026 letter, the Chamber's Board Chair and President Stacey Lamirand wrote that the Chamber opposes any change permitting a farmers market on the Plaza. Lamirand argued that recurring commercial events would turn the Plaza into "a de facto retail space" without costs other local businesses carry, like rent, and cited two existing farmers markets.
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