Ordinarily, not much happens in the great wide world of Marin's urban affairs, but sometimes a lot happens. When that happens, you get an overdose of linkage. One article deserves special attention, though. Novato city planners are celebrating the soon-to-open Chipotle burrito shop in a downtown strip mall, saying that anything that happens in downtown is an improvement. This is the opposite of true, and I would hope that professional planners would have an understanding of what makes a vibrant downtown.

Does the building engage the sidewalk? Nope, it puts the trash next to the corner it abuts. Does the business promote local vitality? Nope, it's a fairly bland national chain. What's most infuriating, to me, is that the building was gutted and rebuilt like some sort of historic landmark rather than being rebuilt as something that could really improve downtown. What's suffocating downtown are businesses and structures like this and the planners that enable them to continue.

Marin

A recently approved home in Sausalito was originally supposed to include a second unit made of two shipping containers but owners were forced by the Planning Commission to cut it from plans due to neighbor concerns. Simultaneously, Sausalito is emulating Novato's push to legalize second units as a way to meet affordable housing mandates. (Marinscope)
Sausalito Councilwoman Carolyn Ford - famous for getting her hand smacked by Councilman Mark Kelly and pressing battery charges - wants a parliamentarian to keep order at the Sausalito Council's contentious meetings. Given an almost unheard-of split vote on mayor, this might be wise. (IJ)
Environmental activists celebrated the death of a planned renewable energy project in West Marin, proving cognitive dissonance knows no ideology. (IJ)
Corte Madera's WinCup apartment complex will go back before the planning commission on the 13th. (Twin Cities Times)
Brad Marsh, who won third place in the recent Larkspur City Council election, has been appointed to fill the seat vacated by Joan Lundstrom retirement. (IJ)
SMART was debated for the umpteenth time last Wednesday. (IJ)
An 11-year-old bicyclist was struck by a driver (or maybe the cyclist struck a car?) on a residential street in Mill Valley and hospitalized with possible spinal injuries. (Bay City News via Marinscope)
Novato's school board contemplates school enrollment boundary changes, taking it as an opportunity to rebalance the socioeconomic makeup of the schools. One unexpected item: school trustees expect enrollment to shrink over the next five years. (IJ)
One more step forward for aspiring suburban bee-keepers and chickenherds in Corte Madera. (IJ)
Expanding Gnoss Field makes sense, says the IJ Editorial Board. (IJ)
San Rafael's Ritter Center gets grant, makes good: the community wellness center is expanding its services and has become a Federal Qualified Healthcare Provider thanks to the Affordable Care Act. (Pacific Sun)
Gerstle Park residents defend their decision to take legal action over Albert Park. (IJ)
Ever wonder what used to be where 101 is now in San Rafael? Salt baths and a freight port. (Patch)
Everybody loves a fantasy map: imagining BART to Marin and beyond. (Muni Diaries)
You might not to be able to tell, but a $10 million water project was just finished in Kentfield. (Ross Valley Reporter)
Might SMART avoid some of the mistakes other transit agencies have made? It's unlikely, but not impossible. (Forbes)

The Greater Marin

Smart growth is about more than livability, walkability and emissions. It's about keeping that parking lot out of paradise.
Rather further south on Highway 101, Facebook is posing a major problem to Menlo Park commuters as it tries to squeeze 6,600 employees onto its transit-inaccessible campus every day. (SFist)
Retail and transit fit together so well, urban retailers are saying more transit less parking. (GlobalST)
One of my favorite transit experts and blogger at Human Transit, Jarrett Walker, talks buses vs. trains, mobility, and more. (Willamette Week)
Opponents to Cotati's plan to humanize its main street are threatening the city with a ballot measure to ban roundabouts within city limits. Merchants claim the redesign would hinder drivers and, therefore, decrease business. (Press Democrat)
What to do with Santa Rosa's downtown mall? (Press Democrat)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/20302720 w=620&h=349] MCBC does wonderful work on bike paths, getting the whole county connected, but it neglects the needs of better on-street bike lanes and what they could do to improve the streetscape for all users.

Marin County

Novato's city council meeting Monday night was four hours of non-stop affordable housing policy excitement. In sum, the city will allow second units to be built at market rates but, citing concerns over current residents of illegal second units, will not give amnesty to those illegal units. The fee to build the second units will come down, and the city will look into how to encourage second unit construction. The city will not implement an affordable housing fee on commercial developers, known as a commercial linkage fee, but did not rule out exploring it in the next housing element in two years. (City of Novato, IJ)

Fairfax is concerned that expanding White Hill Middle School will add more traffic to the town's roads. Unfortunately, the school's remote location 1.5 miles from downtown means mitigation will be tough. (IJ)
Once again, a car accident closed a direction of Highway 101. This time, all southbound lanes were closed. Only minor injuries were reported. (IJ)
Marin Transit will reevaluate its Novato bus lines over the next week to determine how to improve ridership. Ideas include extending the 49 and combining the 51 and 52. GGT should work with Novato to improve access, perception, and urban form in the area. (News Pointer)
It's official: Gary Phillips is mayor of San Rafael, Gary Lion is mayor of Mill Valley, and Denise Athas is mayor of Novato. (IJ)
San Rafael extended a moratorium on opening new group homes of seven or more people. (IJ, Patch)
Another week, another pedestrian struck in Novato. The man suffered minor injuries while crossing De Long Avenue near Sherman Avenue, a block from downtown. (IJ)
Apparently Marinites like their government and are willing to pay to keep it going at current levels. (IJ)
Safe Routes to School has dramatically altered the behavior of students in Marin, shifting 8% of single-student car trips to walking, biking, transit, or carpooling. (IJ; TAM report available here [pdf] on page 183)
Mill Valley is testing a way to electronically comment at city council meetings, which can be done here. A certain blogger you know will probably take full advantage. (IJ, City of Mill Valley)
San Anselmo is showing its community colors by supporting a woman who has had a particularly tragic year: foreclosure, breast cancer, and the tragic death of her husband while on vacation. (IJ)
Cutting trees is a big issue in San Geronimo Valley, where tree-cutting fees are up to 30 times what they are in incorporated Marin. (IJ)
The eviction of Fairfax's medical marijuana dispensary will go forward. (IJ)
The Transportation Authority of Marin approved about $1 million in bike/ped projects at its last meeting. (IJ)
Peaking of bike/ped projects, the IJ editorial board wonders whether the $15 million bike/ped bridge over Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is worth the money. (IJ)
Just to be clear: Stand Up for Neighborly Novato doesn't like the idea of housing at Hanna Ranch. If you want to comment on the sprawl development, please do: Novato City Council has scheduled discussion on the project for December 13. (IJ, Patch)
The runway at Novato's Gnoss Field could be extended without major environmental impact. (IJ)
SMART and other projects are now evaluated under a cost-benefit and target analysis from MTC. The results were mixed. (Press Democrat)

The Greater Marin

San Francisco will soon allow drivers to pay for parking via cell phone. Since Sausalito is emulating the city's performance parking practices, might cell phone parking come to Marin soon as well? (SFGate)
Cotati's HOV lanes are now open to vehicles. (North Bay Business Journal)
The suburban office park - a la Marin Commons, Fireman's Fund and Hanna Ranch - is disappearing. (Times)
Marin is better poised than most to take advantage of the shift away from suburban office parks and towards centralized development: with the SMART train, strong downtowns and some local political will, commerce might still look to Marin to relocate, even if not in the typical places.
ABAG and MTC have been awarded a $5 million federal grant to promote sustainable communities. (Transportation Nation)
Population growth has slowed dramatically in California. While the state grew at a rate of 0.7% per annum, Marin grew only by 0.53%.
In planning there is a concept known as Level of Service, or LOS, which is widely used and places auto traffic at the top of the planning pyramid. In San Francisco, that metric is being challenged at last. (The Atlantic Cities)
SANDAG has released a Sustainable Communities Strategy under Senate Bill 375. How long until ABAG does the same? (ClimatePlan)