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Town outlines merchant-permit changes as residents report enforcement gaps
Summary
San Anselmo Town staff described updates to the merchant parking program — including 230 permits sold and new off-street merchant spaces — while residents pressed for clearer enforcement and faster CMPA response to long‑term on‑street vehicles.
David Donner, San Anselmo Town Manager, opened the session by reviewing town management of downtown parking and saying the town has taken over administration of the merchant-permit program previously handled by police. "We have sold 230 permits for this fiscal year," Donner said, citing the town's effort to move merchant parking off the avenue.
Donner said the town added new merchant spaces at Creek Park and along Sir Francis Drake to reduce merchant parking in neighborhood 4‑hour zones and that permit records (license plates) are entered into the Central Marin Police Authority enforcement database and the town issues color‑coded windshield stickers. "We communicate these changes with a business newsletter," he said, noting staff can email merchants directly.
Several residents told staff enforcement has been inconsistent. One resident said cadets told them they had been instructed to be lenient and not to issue tickets; another described vehicles left for days without apparent action. Residents pressed the town to clarify how and when CMPA tags and tows vehicles and to increase targeted enforcement during events. Donner acknowledged confusion over enforcement and the 72‑hour state rule for unregulated parking, saying the town will meet with CMPA to address response times and process clarity.
Staff emphasized that the merchant sticker program allows merchants to park in designated 4‑hour and unregulated spaces without paying meters in some areas, and that some recently added off‑street merchant spaces do not require payment. Residents asked the town to measure how many of the 230 merchant permits are in active daily use, and Donner said staff already does hand counts and can improve communications to encourage merchants to use the new lots.
The meeting produced no formal action but identified clear follow-ups: staff will (1) clarify CMPA reporting and tow/tag procedures for long‑term parked vehicles, (2) re‑circulate maps and newsletter notices to merchant permit holders, and (3) collect usage counts for merchant permits and newly opened off‑street spots to report back to the council.
