"In this downtown area, there have been cars that have parked for weeks on end," Corte Madera Public Works Director Chris Good told the Town Council, as the Press Democrat reported. That problem belongs to a place people use, even as one local vendor told the council in September that Menke Park itself is still underused.
This fall the town made three decisions about Old Corte Madera Square. It set time limits on parking, capped the number of food vendors, and kept holiday lighting cheap so Public Works can focus on storm season. Together they show a change in how the town treats the square. It is now managed like a working downtown, and the new parking signs are the most visible sign of it.
How a quiet park became a parking problem
The change started with a food truck. Corte Madera's Microbusiness Pilot Program first launched at Menke Park in June 2025. The town's goal was to create a welcoming space, improve the park experience, and see whether mobile food businesses suited Corte Madera. On June 12, 2025, the town approved a one-year permit for Humble Cheeseburger at Menke Park. In July 2025, the Marin Independent Journal placed it beside Piccolo Pavilion at 220 Corte Madera Ave., open 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
The park itself changed too. The Corte Madera Community Foundation calls the Menke Park renovation its most ambitious fundraising effort so far. Its plan put safety and ADA access first, with new stairs and compliant paths. It also called for removing unhealthy and non-native trees, keeping the heritage trees, and adding California native plants. While the work was underway, the 2026 summer concert series moved to Town Park.
When the renovated park came back, it had more reasons to stop and fewer places to park. Community Development Director Amy Lyle told the council that the complaints included too little parking for businesses and employees parking on residential streets. She traced them to several causes, including the microbusiness program and more activity downtown. Last year the town hired the engineering firm Parametrix to study parking in the area. Those findings shaped what the council approved.
The new rules, block by block
On October 6, 2026, the council voted 5-0 to adopt Resolution 43/2026, which sets new parking time limits in Old Corte Madera Square. According to the Press Democrat's account, the changes are:
| Location | What changes |
|---|---|
| Menke Park | Parking limited to a maximum of two hours |
| Montecito Drive | Four new one-hour spaces |
| Montecito Drive gravel area | Newly marked parking with a 72-hour limit |
| Corte Madera Avenue past First Street and Hill Path | Existing restrictions removed |
The 72-hour signs don't create a new rule. Corte Madera already bans parking for more than 72 hours anywhere in town. Councilmember Eli Beckman asked why signs were needed, and Good answered with the line about cars parked for weeks. The signs are there to make the existing limit visible.
Town code enforcement officers will enforce the limits, with help from the Central Marin Police Authority on weekends. At the October meeting, Good said new signs could go up within a few weeks, depending on council direction. Check the posted signs before relying on any limit on a given block.
The council treats this as a first step. Staff proposed the changes to see whether they fix the problem before the town looks at other options. People at the two public workshops also asked for a residential permit program. According to the minutes, the council plans to review how well the limits work after a period of use. Members also talked about making the County-owned lot near Montecito Drive easier to find and use. That lot could matter as much as the time limits. If more drivers find it, fewer cars will circle Menke Park looking for a space.
Seven vendors, townwide
Three weeks before the parking vote, the council settled how many food vendors the town will allow. On September 15 it voted 4-0 to approve what Lyle called "basically an overhaul of our commercial zoning code," the Marin Independent Journal reported. The overhaul makes the microbusiness pilot permanent and sets a hard cap. The staff report lists the maximums:
- One microbusiness at Menke Park
- Up to four at Town Park
- One at Cove School and San Clemente Park
- One more in the public right-of-way, with a use permit
That adds up to seven for the whole town. Menke Park, the spot where the pilot started, gets one. "I don't think we're expecting a flood of food trucks," Lyle said, according to the IJ.
Humble Cheeseburger's own site now says it is based at "Corte Madera town Park in downtown Corte Madera, across from the post office." It lists hours of Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and asks visitors to check its Google listing for schedule changes. An IJ photo from Wednesday, September 23, 2026, also shows customers lining up at the truck at Corte Madera Town Park.
The Menke Park spot has an applicant. At the September meeting, several residents spoke for local vendor Amy Hughes and her application for a coffee cart at Menke Park. Hughes told the council the park is underused and her business would help fill that gap. "There's like all these people and they want to hang out in parks," she said, as quoted in the IJ. She has called the project Town Buzz Cafe and described it as a coffee-and-pastry trailer. Its fundraising page still says "Coming Soon."
The same code update affects the shops around the square. Town Manager Adam Wolff said he first looked at changing the code when he joined the town in 2014. Councilmember Pat Ravasio supported the changes but asked staff to keep residents' and businesses' parking concerns in mind. Three weeks later, the parking resolution addressed those concerns.
A $2,000 holiday, by choice
The square's holiday look came up at the same October 6 meeting. Good gave the council a range of choices. Temporary lighting for the pavilion plus solar-powered lights for the holiday wreaths would cost about $2,000. Permanent lighting for the palm trees would cost $17,500 to $25,000, depending on the option.
Members weighed cost, maintenance, possible effects on the newly finished park improvements, and other Public Works priorities, especially winter storm and flood preparation. Peter Chase of the Corte Madera Community Foundation spoke during public comment. In the end, the council backed the lower-cost temporary lights for the pavilion and asked the Beautification Committee to look into solar lights for the wreaths. It did not support permanent palm tree lighting for now. Staff said they would proceed with the temporary lighting. The council took no formal vote.
So the pavilion will be lit this season. A permanent display around Menke Park will wait until it doesn't compete with storm preparation.
Who is on the square under the new limits
A two-hour limit at Menke Park changes how a visit works, and the businesses around the park are close enough together for the timing to matter. The Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce describes Old Corte Madera Square as the area around Tamalpais Drive and Corte Madera Avenue, with more than 20 specialty shops. Some of the addresses within a short walk of the park:
- Zinz Wine Bar, 207 Corte Madera Ave., with wine, beer and small plates
- Burmatown, 18 Tamalpais Drive
- Kito's Taco Shop, 60 Corte Madera Ave., just down the avenue
- Corte Madera Barbershop, 217 Corte Madera Ave.
- Plum Salon, 221 Corte Madera Ave.
- Accents Salon & Spa, 123 Corte Madera Ave.
- Gingko Integrative Medicine, 121 Corte Madera Ave.
The complaints Lyle described came from both residents and businesses. They included too little parking for businesses and employees parking in residential areas. According to the minutes, the new limits are meant to improve turnover and availability for businesses, customers, residents and visitors. The council has already said it will check whether the limits are working once they have been in place for a while.
If you live near the square and are trying to decide what the new parking rules, the next vendor permit or a busier Corte Madera Avenue mean for your own street, I'm happy to talk it through. I'm Holly Welch, and I pay close attention to how changes like these affect day-to-day life on specific streets in Central Marin. Let's Connect.