San Anselmo council weighs later street closure for Live on the Avenue after merchants say early shutdown hurts business

The San Anselmo Town Council spent more than two hours on Jan. 28 debating whether to shift the town’s Live on the Avenue street closure from the current soft-close at 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., a change merchants said would protect late-afternoon sales on Fridays and Saturdays.

Supporters of a later closure told the council the current schedule “kills” retail on the avenue. Erin (Saks Consignment) said, “It is like a ghost town in front of my store. Normally on Fridays my business is booming. When On the Avenue starts, it is an absolute halt.” Merchants including Frank Gomez, Laurie Berliner, Stacy Colteaux and Belinda Wickwire echoed that argument and urged a 5 p.m. soft close so stores can keep serving customers through the busy late-afternoon shopping window.

Council members and staff raised public-safety and operational concerns. Public works and law-enforcement partners warned that extending the closure reduces the time available for the Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA) or staff to clear parked cars before pedestrians occupy the closed street. Public works director Sean noted bollards under consideration to improve safety but cautioned that enforcement and vehicle removal remain the principal challenges.

Event organizers presented a coded budget and fundraising plan. Recreation staff said the town’s direct staffing request for the event is about $27,000, with a $5,000 contingency, and that music and entertainment fundraising aims for $75,000 this season. Staff said additional signage changes to shift the closure later would cost roughly $2,300 for printed parking signs and additional staff time. The organizers also proposed operational changes — shorter band sets, later music start times, and a pilot approach to any future amplified-business programming.

Council members said they wanted definitive information about whether CMPA could staff the longer enforcement window and whether the gap could be covered by fundraising or town funds without exposing public works staff to enforcement duties. Council member Burke noted “it’s a calculus” between merchant harm and pedestrian safety; Council member Walker and others asked the chief to provide specific staffing and cost scenarios.

After extended testimony from downtown merchants and residents, the council did not adopt a permanent rule change. Instead members asked staff to return with cost estimates and the police chief’s input and signaled openness to a pilot if the town can secure the personnel resource to clear the Avenue safely. The council agreed to revisit the item at a future meeting with that additional information.

The debate underscored wide community interest: a town survey of event attendees (about 300 responses) showed strong support for the existing Live on the Avenue format, but the merchants’ testimony emphasized business losses tied to the current schedule. Council members expressed interest in a pilot that balances merchant concerns with pedestrian safety and CMPA staffing realities.