$500k Approved To Purchase Land For Park, Improved Transportation In Marin County

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The San Rafael City Council approved to use up to $500,000 of city funds to purchase a property that will be made into a park and will connect the Canal to a nearby shopping center and high school, officials said.

The site is 1.65 acres and is located along the southern edge of the San Rafael Creek, better known to locals as the Canal. The City potentially wants to build a waterfront park there and a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that would connect the Canal to the Montecito Plaza Shopping Center and San Rafael High School.

Funding for the purchase includes the $500,000 from the City and additionally $1.35 million in Marin County Measure A funds. The Trust for Public Lands is seeking donations to bridge the remaining funding gap.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors will consider Measure A grant funding later this summer.

“The level of cooperation is a testament to San Rafael’s leadership and to the City’s longstanding relationship with the Canal Alliance and Canal residents” said Erica Williams, senior project manager with the Trust for Public Land.

Acquiring this property is a critical step towards increasing open space and improving connectivity in the Canal neighborhood. Residents have consistently expressed the need for more parks, plazas, walkways, and recreational amenities, priorities reflected in the City’s 2009 Canalfront Conceptual Design Plan, 2023 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and 2040 General Plan.

“This project represents a unique opportunity to advance a long-standing community vision of expanding open space and improving connectivity in the Canal neighborhood,” said Kate Colin, San Rafael mayor. “Since 2006, when the City developed its first Canal Neighborhood Community-Based Transportation Plan, residents have consistently expressed a desire for a canal crossing to the north. While any future crossing would require significant planning and funding, the park itself would be a meaningful step forward for the neighborhood.”

Right now Canal residents face a lengthy mile-long, 20-minute detour via Francisco Boulevard East and Grand Avenue Bridge to reach Montecito Shopping Center, San Rafael High School, and San Pedro Elementary.