Archive for the ‘Marin Neighborhoods’ Category
Trying to find the perfect place for a kid’s birthday party can be a challenge if you want to avoid the crowds or the cost of an indoor space. Our favorite outdoor spot is at Marinwood Park in San Rafael. It has a large open lawn area to throw a football or frisbee around and there’s a small grassy hill that the kids love to roll down. Talk about instant entertainment! The play structure area is nice and has a separate section for smaller kids, and there’s a concrete path that surrounds the park which makes a perfect loop for little ones to ride their bikes around.
You can reserve a spot near the play structure area for a private party, but we like to be out in the grassy area, which has picnic tables and BBQs. Bring your hot dogs and burgers (or tofu dogs), start up the grill and make it an adult party too. In the summer they have a great community pool which you can also make part of the party for a fee. The best part is the secret path along the side of the play structure area that leads to a year round creek. Kids love playing in it, especially when the weather’s hot. One important tip: get there around 9:00 am to claim your table with a cooler and table cloth so when the party starts later in the day you will have a primo spot.
It took a while but it was worth the wait. We stopped by the new Andy’s Sun Valley Market the other day to check it out and it’s a really nice addition to the neighborhood. It’s been given a complete makeover, with a great looking deli and a nice wine selection, and tables outside. They’re having a grand opening block party BBQ on Labor Day. It’s at 2202 5th Ave at California in San Rafael.
In order to accommodate rising elementary school enrollment in Fairfax and San Anselmo the Ross Vally School District Board is in the process of redrawing the boundaries that determine which school goes with which neighborhood. It’s part of a process that will also split the two Brookside Elementary campuses into separate K-5 schools.
According to the RSVD website the aim of the changes will be to:
- Create and maintain four, independent “k-5” schools of similar size
- Prioritize enrollment for residents who live closest to a school site and within its boundary – taking into consideration natural geographic boundaries – to:
- enable and encourage walking and biking to school, and
- minimize the number of people traveling by car.
- Align with Safe Routes to School for students who walk or bike to school.
- Maintain accessibility to District-wide programs (e.g., MAP and the Learning Center).
- Minimize the number of current students who must change schools during the transition phase as a result of these boundary adjustments.
Jack Schreder & Associates, the consulting firm the board hired, has come up with four scenarios for redrawing the boundaries. They say that they’re now going to look at more tax assessor and census data, get input from the Board of Trustees, district staff, and the community, and then do some recalculating before presenting a final scenario.
There’s a special board meeting tomorrow night at White Hill Middle School to discuss the process. The Powerpoint presentation outlining the four enrollment boundary options is available here. For more info visit the RVSD website or contact the district office at 415.454.2162.
Forbes recently published their list of America’s most expensive zip codes, most of which have seen very sluggish home sales. As part of the story, they focused on real estate markets that have tremendous value for being the luxury home market “next door” to the toniest of neighborhoods. The Marin County neighborhoods of Kentfield and Greenbrae received the majority of the focus in the story which I was interviewed for.
Kentfield has seen prices decline 20% this year while Greenbrae is only down 9% according to stats by Altos Research.
View Greenbrae Homes for Sale
View Kentfield Homes for Sale
Many people are surprised to find out I live in Larkspur when they thought I lived in Greenbrae but I have a Kentfield zip code. Did I confuse you?
Our little cities in Marin County are so close together, I think it is confusing to everyone. So how does this whole city/town/county thing work in Marin?
Part of Greenbrae is unincorporated, meaning it is not part of a city or town with its own government. Another part of Greenbrae is incorporated into Larkspur. Need a building permit and you live in that half of Greenbrae? You go to the City of Larkspur. Live in the unincorporated are of Greenbrae? Permits and other services fall under the domain of Marin County.
The zip code for Greenbrae is 94904. 94904 is also the Kentfield zip code. Like Greenbrae, Kentfield is also unincorporated.
The school district for Greenbrae is not the Corte Madera -Larkspur School District, it is in the Kentfield School District. Go figure.
Got it?
Want to explore a new neighborhood? Get a street level view with Google Maps. If you haven’t checked it out, you should. Google has literally hired photographers to take pictures of every street and neighborhood across the country. San Francisco is basically done. Marin County is underway. In the snapshot below, you can see one of my favorite parks in a street view from San Rafael Blvd in Belvedere.
It is a pretty cool tool right now- and will get even better as more photography is completed. I wish they had this when I moved to Marin!
Want to learn how to use it? Watch this goofy but helpful video from Google.
The Greenbrae Community Picnic will take place on Sunday, September 9 from 3-7 pm at the Greenbrae School Park (off Parkside Way). Children’s activities include a climbing wall, jumppee, jula hoop demonstrations & more! 
The picnic will be catered by Swami Tommy’s BBQ Experience and will feature sliced tri-tip, chicken, side dishes & salad. Live bluegrass music will be performed by the David Thom Band.
Tickets: $8 children/ $12 adults in advance, $10 children/$15 adults the day of the event. Admission fee includes meal, beverage, and dessert + entertainment.
Need More Info? Contact me!
Corte Madera has long been a hidden gem in Southern Marin.
Everyone knows where Corte Madera is- it is the retail center of Southern Marin. Corte Madera Town Center and the The Village at Corte Madera Shopping Mall flank highway 101. From Nordstroms & Williams Sonoma, to Il Fornaio & Champagne Bakery. Corte Madera has tons of fabulous shops and restaurants.
But do people actually live in Corte Madera? Yes! They do! (more…)
This is Part 2 of my Marin Neighborhoods series about Strawberry in Mill Valley, California. (View Strawberry Part 1)
Strawberry has many diverse neighborhoods and housing styles. Despite its close proximity to San Francisco, it is still somewhat of a hidden gem among Mill Valley neighborhoods.
This is Part 2 of my Marin Neighborhoods series about San Anselmo. (View San Anselmo Part 1)
Making sense of the different San Anselmo neighborhoods is not all that easy. The neighborhood names can change depending on who you are talking to, how long they have lived in San Anselmo and how old they are! Downtown, Sleepy Hollow, Barber Tract? What do they all mean.