Corte Madera Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a package of permits allowing exterior renovations and a modest expansion of the outdoor dining area at Marin Joe’s, the 70‑year‑old restaurant at 1585 Casa Buena Drive, but attached conditions requiring the owner to record a deed restriction tying a separate parking parcel to the restaurant, submit a parking management plan and supply dark‑sky‑compliant lighting for both lots.

The approval covers design review application PL25‑0035, conditional use permit PL25‑0055 and variance request PL25‑0056. The commission voted unanimously (4–0, one member absent) to adopt the findings and conditions in the staff resolution after a public hearing and applicant presentation. “The applicant proposes to enlarge the patio by a 195 square feet to accommodate a total of 28 seats,” staff planner Claire said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The project restores a longtime local business while changing the site’s footprint and intensifying outdoor dining, which triggered the conditional use permit and two variances. Commissioners emphasized neighborhood impacts — chiefly parking, lighting and fire‑safe landscaping — and secured enforceable conditions to address them.

What the commission approved and why
The proposal revises the restaurant’s exterior finishes, adds a front entry canopy, extends roofing over a trash/enclosure area to comply with Sanitary District 2, upgrades windows and doors, and expands the rear patio by approximately 195 square feet to create a 28‑seat outdoor dining area. The property is a 17,480‑square‑foot parcel with a 5,497‑square‑foot nonconforming restaurant building located in a C‑3 Highway Commercial zone adjacent to R‑2 residential parcels to the west.

Staff told the commission the site’s elongated shape and the 50‑foot required rear setback along residential zoning reduce the buildable area to roughly 10% of the parcel, a constraint the applicants cited in support of the requested variances. Staff found the design review application consistent with Corte Madera’s General Plan and made the required design and variance findings in the attached resolution.

Neighborhood concerns and staff conditions
Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff on parking and neighborhood impacts. Planning staff reported the site currently has 46 on‑site spaces; the zoning code requires 73. The applicant operates a valet system that uses an adjacent, separately parceled parking lot above the restaurant; that parcel had not originally been shown as permanently tied to the restaurant.

To address the issue, staff included and the commission adopted conditions requiring: (1) a recorded deed restriction that Parcels 1 (restaurant) and 2 (upper parking lot) remain in common ownership and that Parcel 2 continue to be used for restaurant parking, subject to town attorney review; (2) a parking plan prepared and approved by staff before building permit issuance; and (3) a dark‑sky‑compliant lighting plan for both parcels. Planning staff also said they will monitor parking; the commission discussed enforcement language to respond if parking complaints arise.

On landscaping and fire safety, staff explained Central Marin Fire initially determined the site lay inside the wildland‑urban interface (WUI) and disallowed plantings within five feet of structures, which prompted removal of a full landscape plan. Central Marin Fire reversed that determination late in the review, allowing landscape at the building base; staff added a condition requiring the applicant to submit a final landscape plan for staff review and approval as an amendment to the design review permit.

Operational limits and other conditions
Staff recommended, and the commission adopted, conditions limiting outdoor amplified sound (no amplified music on the patio) and establishing hours for the patio (staff noted proposed hours are noon–10 p.m. Sunday–Friday and noon–11 p.m. Saturday, aligning with the interior hours). The sanitary district required the roof extension over the trash enclosure to prevent stormwater entry into the sanitary sewer; the applicant’s design extends the roof to cover that inlet and will install a grease interceptor as required by the district.

Applicant presentation
The applicant and project team emphasized restoration of the building’s mid‑century character while improving customer access and climate‑resilient systems. The project architect described a new front canopy to create a clearer, sheltered entry and a reconfigured rear patio with new glazing and paving; the owner said the intent was “to bring the property up into today’s standards.” The applicants also described a proposed low‑flow irrigation landscaping palette; staff and the team said they will revise species as needed to meet fire‑safety requirements.

Decision and next steps
The commission moved to approve the design review, conditional use permit and variances, with the deed restriction, staff‑approved parking plan and dark‑sky lighting plan included as conditions. The roll call recorded four affirmative votes (Commissioner Bridal: yes; Commissioner Rogers: yes; Vice Chair Kenny: yes; Chair Chase: yes); one commissioner was absent. The approval is subject to the normal 10‑calendar‑day appeal period to the Town Council.

Practical details and technical clarifications
- Parcel and building sizes: 17,480‑square‑foot parcel; existing restaurant 5,497 sq ft. - Patio change: +195 sq ft to a 28‑seat outdoor patio. - Parking: existing on‑site spaces 46; ordinance requirement cited in staff report 73. - Hours: proposed patio hours align with interior hours (noon–10 p.m. Sun–Fri; noon–11 p.m. Saturday). - Noise: condition prohibits amplified sound on the patio. - Utilities and drainage: sanitary district requires roof cover over trash enclosure and proper grease management; the project includes new sewer and drainage work and repaving/restriping of the restaurant parcel parking area.

What remains for staff and the applicant: The final landscaping plan will be submitted as an amendment to the design review permit and must meet fire‑safe species requirements; the recorded deed restriction and parking plan must be in place prior to building permit issuance; the dark‑sky lighting plan must be provided for both parcels.

Ending: The approval is intended to preserve and modernize a long‑running local business while adding outdoor dining capacity. The commission’s conditions focus on preventing spillover impacts to nearby residential properties by locking in the upper parking parcel as part of the restaurant’s parking supply and requiring enforceable parking and lighting plans.