San Anselmo to reopen Creek Park plaza

San Anselmo will reopen the popular downtown plaza that the county closed in 2022 for safety concerns.

The Town Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve a $1-a-month three-year lease with the county for the concrete platform above San Anselmo Creek.

“I remember the day they closed it,” said Mayor Steve Burdo. “After so many years now, I’m thrilled to be able to partner with the county to get this awesome space back.”

“When Creek Park closed, it left a real hole in the heart of downtown San Anselmo and we could feel the absence,” said Marin County Supervisor Brian Colbert, a former member of the Town Council. “I – we the community – did not want another summer to go by with the heart of San Anselmo fenced off.”

“It’s not simply reopening a park,” he said. “It’s reclaiming connection and restoring possibilities.”

The town, in an announcement about the deal, said it has “retained a licensed structural engineering consultant to evaluate the platform’s integrity.”

“Public use may resume only after the consultant confirms that the structure can safely accommodate the Town’s intended use,” the statement said.

County flood control officials closed the gathering spot above Creek Park out of concern the century-old bridge below the plaza was unstable.

The town staff has addressed those concerns by removing tons of debris, Public Works Director Sean Condry told the council Tuesday.

“We just removed probably 100,000 pounds of dead load from the structure,” he said, when asked if it was safe. “I don’t think there’s too much of a worry.”

The council action comes against a backdrop of years-long Ross Valley flood control efforts that have faced many delays.

The structure underneath the plaza, known as Building Bridge 2, was slated to be removed this year as part of a multimillion-dollar project.

However, last fall, federal officials said the project could not go forward until downstream residents agree with mitigation efforts.

In late January, the county’s Flood Zone 9 Advisory Board, which oversees the watershed, discussed how the Building Bridge 2 project was unlikely to continue.

The county has since announced a pause in “all Corte Madera Creek flood control projects pending a comprehensive review to determine if project goals can be accomplished.”

Members of the San Anselmo Town Council did not comment on the flood project developments. They said the plaza reopening this spring would add to the downtown vitality.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Councilmember Eileen Burke. “It’s amazing that all we did to make that a place that the community wanted was throw out some wood chips and put in some picnic tables.”

Councilmember Yoav Schlesinger said, “We get to reopen a well-loved public space for pedestrians, for dining, for Live on the Avenue, for music, for all the things that during the pandemic we used the space for.”

“It’s great,” said Vice Mayor Chantel Walker. “Lots of us are looking forward to returning to some semblance of what it was and maybe someday even more.”

Officials said the three-year lease will automatically be renewed, barring unforeseen developments.