San Anselmo Vision Brightens with Grants and Pro Bono Services

By invitation from past-Mayor Breen, the San Anselmo Vision committee (formerly known as Southern San Anselmo Avenue Vision) presented the committee’s progress to date to the Town Council in June. Following are some of the highlights.

Because of San Anselmo Vision’s active outreach to community stakeholders, sustainable
design solutions, and continued work with the Town and local organizations, both Greenbelt Alliance and Marin Community Foundation awarded San Anselmo Vision with grants to further the work of this dedicated volunteer effort.

San Anselmo Vision committee is grateful for the pro bono services from local professionals, including Jeff Ivarson and website designer Michael Holt. San Anselmo Vision’s new website (going live later this summer) will enhance community awareness, invite participation in the visioning process, provide a means to share work-to-date, and engage San Anselmo residents and the business community to discuss ways to achieve the community’s goals and solve local problems. 

Also of note, Stantec Engineers, the firm that designed the underground parking for the award-winning Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, provided at no charge the initial drawings for the under-the-avenue parking garage.

Geoff Adams of Stantec sent a letter to be read at the council meeting supporting the concept as a carefully considered solution to the problem of meeting parking needs without sacrificing street level land that is too valuable to use for parking.  The underground parking design could also be a start for LEED rating of the total project.  (LEED is The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design–Green Building Rating System™ which encourages global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices).

In addition to its weekly meetings, the San Anselmo Vision committee also attends and contributes support and input at numerous Town and staff meetings related to the issues and concerns addressed in whole or in part by San Anselmo Vision. Most recently, these included the Bolinas Traffic Calming Workshops, Measure G Committee meetings and the Town’s Housing Element Update.

San Anselmo Vision is assisting the Town in its efforts to comply with Association of  Bay Area Governments (ABAG) required housing mandates by identifying viable sites downtown where it is feasible to build affordable homes; so the San Anselmo Vision is an venue to meet the ABAG mandates. 

San Anselmo Vision also conforms to the State’s Senate Bill 375 because it reduces climate change by locating jobs closer to homes and along transit corridors.  While a Specific Area Plan Study Session is not scheduled at this time, if and when it is, it will greatly enhance efforts to secure funding for further economic and design studies, as well as funding or various aspects of the plan, notably transit oriented development (TOD) and similar state nd federal programs. While waiting for this opportunity, San Anselmo Vision will continue to present to different segments of the community its innovative solution to the Town’s economic, environmental and social needs.