Larkspur Returns To Rose Garden Project

There's a great view of Larkspur's Rose Garden Project from the second floor of the new Twin Cities Police Station on Doherty Drive.

The development of the Rose Garden Project will be the topic as the Larkspur City Council invites the public to a special meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the community room at Twin Cities Police headquarters.

The ribbon-cutting for the police station in January represented a major success for local law enforcement, but also for the City of Larkspur which had pinpointed the project as one of the city's major needs. The new two-story building was finished two months ahead of schedule and $2 million under budget.

With one major project completed, Larkspur is now turning its focus across the street to the Rose Garden Project, which will be the site of 85 residential units being developed by the New Home Company on the 16.8-acre former Niven Nursery site. The Rose Garden development will also include "a 2.43-acre community facility site, multi-use paths, landscaped areas, open space areas and creek setback and buffer areas," according to the City of Larkspur website.

The City Council decided in June that the community facility should also include a library, opening the way for the City to accept a matching donation offer of nearly $5 million.

The decision came after a series of public meetings, which elicited several ideas for the use of the community facility site and several complaints about the process. Even in June, after a month of public workshops, some members of the community argued the process was moving forward too quickly and that not all Larkspur residents had heard about the issue and the meetings.

The City Council is trying to find the right direction going forward with the project. Thursday's agenda includes the opportunity for more discussion and clarififcation of the intended use of the community facility. The City Council is also looking to create a strategic planning committee for the project.

From the police station, you can see the former Niven Nursery site which has been cleared and is now being prepared for development. The community facility parcel, now just brown dirt and weeds, will be donated by the New Home Company to the City of Larkspur in a ready-to-develop condition, according to City Manager Dan Schwarz.

Will the development that arises from the Rose Garden be greeted with the same enthusiasm and pride that met the opening of the police headquarters?

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