Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Playgrounds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tiburon commission backs Cypress Hollow redesign with fence, tree‑retention and play‑area adjustments
Summary
After months of outreach and a 315‑response survey, the Post Commission voted to send a revised conceptual design for Cypress Hollow Park to Town Council. The commission directed consultants to reinsert a perimeter fence, retain flowering yard trees until they fail, and refine the size and location of expanded play areas to protect sight lines and lawns.
The Post Commission on Tuesday voted to forward a revised conceptual design for Cypress Hollow Park to the Town Council, directing landscape consultants to add an outer perimeter fence, preserve the existing ornamental fruit trees on the lawn until they must be removed, and revisit the footprint of the doubled play area.
Brianna Morrison, a landscape architect with Carlisle Macy, presented the redesign, saying the concept increases play area from roughly 2,000 to about 5,000 square feet, proposes accessible perimeter sidewalks and enclosed play zones, and recommends replacing declining ornamental fruit trees with flowering native species. Morrison noted the designs are preliminary and based on outreach and an earlier town master‑plan process: “These are just our first ideas,” she said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Neighbors repeatedly told commissioners they want both safer, more accessible play spaces and preservation of the park’s character. Speakers during the public‑comment period argued for keeping a low fence along the street to reduce the risk of children running into traffic and for saving the flowering trees that give the park its neighborhood character.
What the commission asked for: Commissioners asked consultants to: - Add a perimeter fence or otherwise provide an obstacle along Cypress Hollow to reduce street‑runout risk; - Maintain as many existing flowering fruit trees as feasible on the central lawn and remove them only when they die or pose hazards; and - Reassess the layout/size of the two proposed play zones (areas labeled G and H in the concept) so sight lines and the park’s open‑lawn character are preserved.
Survey and technical details: The design team reported 315 total survey responses across the three mini parks; for Cypress Hollow the consultants said about 50 responses were tied to the site. Designers also flagged regulatory requirements that drive the plan: accessible paths of travel are required by accessibility codes and play equipment must meet separate age‑group structure requirements. An arborist told commissioners the existing ornamental trees—planted around 2008—are approaching a 20–25 year public‑site life expectancy, which informed the commission’s compromise to retain them where possible and phase replacements over time.
Next steps: The commission’s motion was unanimous. Carlisle Macy will produce a revised design that incorporates the fence, maintains trees on the lawn until they decline, and offers alternatives for the play‑area footprint. The revised packet will be prepared for a joint presentation to Town Council.
Throughout the meeting, residents emphasized safety and stewardship, while designers and commissioners balanced access, play goals and long‑term maintenance responsibilities.
