On the night of October 6, the Corte Madera Town Council adopted two measures for Old Corte Madera Square. The first was Ordinance No. 1061, the commercial code overhaul. It allows one food vendor beside the Piccolo Pavilion at Menke Park and up to four at Town Park. The second was Resolution No. 43/2026, which puts a two-hour limit on parking at Menke Park. Taken together, they show what the Town wants from the Square. Menke Park is meant to be a front porch where people stop for a while and then free up the space. The Town's growing interest in food trucks is being sent a few blocks away to Town Park.
That plan came from a pilot program that worked well enough to cause problems.
A burger trailer showed what the park could handle
The pilot began modestly. In late 2024, Redwood Bark reported that the Council had approved a one-year trial letting small vendors sell at Menke Park's Piccolo Pavilion from four designated parking spaces. The site had limited electricity and no water for vendors, and the Town charged a small fee for the spaces and power. According to a Town staff report, the Microbusiness Pilot Program launched at Menke Park in June 2025. Its stated goal was "to create a welcoming space for the community, enhance the park experience, and evaluate whether the mobile food businesses are a good fit for Corte Madera."
Humble Cheeseburger answered that question quickly. In July 2025, the Marin Independent Journal reported the trailer operating next to the Piccolo Pavilion at 220 Corte Madera Ave., Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Today, Humble Cheeseburger's own site says it is based at Corte Madera Town Park, across from the post office. Its listed hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it points customers to its Google listing for schedule changes.
Humble Cheeseburger moved from Menke Park to Town Park, and the new code follows the same path.
The Town heard from the storefronts
The new rules were shaped by what nearby businesses told the Town during the pilot. In July 2026, the Planning Commission held a study session. One commissioner said he generally favors allowing more microbusinesses rather than fewer, and another said he could support two vendors at Menke Park instead of one. Chair Chase said the mix of vendors should be managed so it doesn't hurt existing businesses. He also noted that parking demand at Menke Park had been a concern while Humble Burger was there.
Staff kept the limit at one and explained why in the August 2026 report:
"During the pilot program, staff received numerous comments from nearby businesses expressing concerns about parking availability and business competition. The proposed regulations are intended to strike an appropriate balance between supporting microbusiness opportunities and minimizing impacts on surrounding businesses and parking resources."
According to the Town's August 2026 staff report, the new Chapter 12.47 sets a townwide maximum of seven microbusinesses:
- Menke Park: one
- Town Park: up to four
- Cove School/San Clemente Park: one
- One more location in the public right-of-way, with a use permit
Permits run for an initial two-year term and can be renewed. The Town will review each operation at least once every 12 months. Vendors in Town Park and San Clemente Park operate under a concession-style license agreement with the Town, so sidewalk vending isn't allowed in either park. When the Marin Independent Journal covered the September 15 vote, Community Development Director Amy Lyle described the expected pace this way: "I don't think we're expecting a flood of food trucks."
Under these caps, the Square's park gets one vendor and Town Park gets up to four.
Parking on the Square, block by block
Parking was the other half of the pilot's lesson. According to the Marin Independent Journal's October report, the complaints included too little parking for customers and employees parking in residential areas. Lyle connected the pressure to "the town's microbusiness program and increased downtown vitality." Last year the Town hired the engineering firm Parametrix to study parking in the Square, and these changes followed from that study:
| Location | New rule |
|---|---|
| Menke Park | Two-hour maximum |
| Montecito Drive | Four new one-hour spaces |
| Montecito Drive gravel area | Marked spaces with a 72-hour limit |
| Corte Madera Avenue past First Street and Hill Path | Existing restrictions removed on that segment |
The 72-hour signs might look unnecessary, since Corte Madera already bans parking beyond 72 hours anywhere in town. Public Works Director Chris Good explained the reason to the IJ: "In this downtown area, to what Amy mentioned, there have been cars that have parked for weeks on end." Code enforcement officers will enforce the new limits, with help from the Central Marin Police Authority on weekends.
Staff said the changes are a first step. At two public workshops, commenters also asked for a residential permit program, which the Town may consider if these limits don't solve the problem. The Council agreed to evaluate the restrictions after they have been in place for a while. It also discussed improving access to, and the visibility of, the County-owned lot near Montecito Drive. Good told the IJ the new signs could go up within a few weeks of the vote.
The rest of the code is written for the storefronts
The vendor caps protect the businesses already on the Square. Most of the rest of the overhaul makes it easier for those businesses to grow. Restaurants, banks, hotels and studios can now open in commercial districts without a conditional use permit. Indoor fitness studios and movie theaters are now permitted in certain commercial and mixed-use areas. Outdoor dining on private property under 500 square feet no longer requires any parking. A business that changes use also doesn't trigger new parking requirements unless it grows by more than 30%.
Consultant Martha Miller told the IJ that providing parking can be a barrier for businesses trying to open in areas that are already built out. Councilmember Pat Ravasio supported the changes but asked staff to keep in mind the parking concerns raised by residents and existing businesses. Town Manager Adam Wolff said he first looked at rewriting these codes when he joined the Town in 2014. He added, "I think this will make a big difference in the flexibility for our businesses to actually create the types of the environments we're hoping to have here in town."
So the October rules point in one direction. A small café can add a patio more easily than before. A second food trailer can't set up beside the pavilion. And the curb out front is now timed so cars keep turning over.
The regulars a two-hour space is meant for
The Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce describes Old Corte Madera Square as the Tamalpais Drive and Corte Madera Avenue area and counts more than 20 specialty shops there. The anchors are easy to name:
- Lighthouse Cafe at 12 Tamalpais Drive serves breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Kito's Taco Shop at 60 Corte Madera Avenue serves Mexican-inspired taco-shop food.
- Zinz Wine Bar at 207 Corte Madera Avenue pours small-production wines with small plates. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m.
- Stefano's Pizza is at 225 Corte Madera Avenue.
Two hours is plenty for a lunch at Lighthouse or an early glass at Zinz. It's too short for an employee's full shift or a car left for weeks. The Town designed the limit to tell those uses apart.
The single Menke Park slot has an early name attached to it. The first applicant to the pilot was Amy Hughes, who proposed Town Buzz Cafe, a coffee-and-pastry trailer for the Piccolo Pavilion. At the September meeting, several residents spoke in support of her coffee cart application. Hughes told the Council the park is underused. "There's like all these people and they want to hang out in parks," she said. She also spoke during public comment at the October 6 meeting.
Lights on the pavilion for December
Later on the October 6 agenda, the Council took up the Square itself. Public Works Director Chris Good presented holiday lighting options for Menke Park. Temporary lights for the pavilion plus lights for the holiday wreaths were estimated at about $2,000. Permanent lighting for the palm trees would have cost between $17,500 and $25,000. During the discussion, the Council considered how each option might affect the park's recently completed improvements. Peter Chase spoke for the Corte Madera Community Foundation during public comment.
The Council supported the lower-cost temporary lighting for the pavilion and asked staff to work with the Beautification Committee on solar-powered lights for the wreaths. It didn't move forward with lighting the palms. No formal vote was taken, and staff said it would proceed with the temporary lighting. This season's plan is a lit pavilion, wreaths on solar power, and the palms left dark.
This post is general information about local rules and isn't legal advice. If you're thinking about applying for a microbusiness permit or expanding a storefront, confirm the details with the Town of Corte Madera directly.
At Smith & Co., we follow how small changes like a timed parking space or a single vendor permit shape the Corte Madera blocks our clients live near. If you'd like to talk about what Old Corte Madera Square's next chapter could mean for your own plans, we'd be glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Free Consultation.
