Report Out from MARA Listening Session with Mayor Kate Colin
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
On Wednesday, April 15, the Montecito Area Residents Association (MARA) hosted a listening session with Mayor Kate Colin of San Rafael at Aldersly Senior Living Community.
MARA president, Sherna Deamer, opened the the gathering by sharing of some facts and current demographics about residents living in the Montecito neighborhood, providing helpful context for the Mayor's presentation. Mayor Kate then spoke for about an hour during which she shared updates on a number of areas of activity that the City of San Rafael has underway. She fielded questions throughout her presentation and addressed some MARA-specific questions at the end.
MARA would like to express their deep thanks to Aldersly for hosting this gathering. You can find notes from the Mayor's presentation below as well as a PDF of her slide presentation.
*Mark your calendars for MARA's May meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.*
MARA meeting with Mayor Kate
Wed, 15 Apr 26
Housing & Development Overview
25+ major housing projects currently in pipeline — more than the previous 10 years combined
State housing laws that have passed since 2019 have largely removed most of the tools once used by local jurisdictions to dictate development
Developers are no longer required to conduct traffic studies which changes how TAM (Transportation Authority of Marin) determines cumulative traffic impacts from multiple development projects
The city's General Plan 2040 (developed through a $1M+ community process) is being superseded by state mandates
700 Irwin project approved 3-2 (Mayor voted no) — calls for 17 stories vs 10 allowed in General Plan
Infrastructure capacity studies are underway for sewer, water, PGE to see whether/how the city's infrastructure can accommodate these new developments.
Major projects tracking available on city website at: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/a991a0fb208c4dd1baf02c496aca8c79
Homelessness Programs
Mahone Path sanctioned camping: 55 people, 100% under case management
350 Merrydale Road development underway
Temporary tiny cabin village (2.5 years)
Will house Mahone Path + Anderson residents plus other members of the existing San Rafael homeless community who qualify
Transitions to 80-unit affordable housing after
Tightly controlled access, security on-site
SAFE Team mobile mental health crisis program
Call 415-473-SAFE instead of police for mental health crises
50% of calls are from housed residents (including students)
Funded through 2026, seeking ongoing funding
Public Safety & Traffic
Vision Zero adopted to reduce pedestrian/bicycle/car incidents
Automated license plate readers (Flock system) have proven successful for crime prevention
Traffic calming measures, speed limit restrictions and red curbs near sidewalks
Smart traffic lights have been rolled out in parts of the West End; expecting more major intersections to have AI-driven smart traffic lights in the next 4-5 years
See Click Fix app for reporting traffic/infrastructure issues: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/seeclickfix/
Infrastructure & Paving
3-year paving plan is now available on city website (updated December): https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/the-2025-2027-three-year-pavement-management-plan/
Current budget covers ~1/3 of the needed paving work
City is taking an equity-based approach, not just responding to the loudest voices
Downtown Economy Support
GO Program: One-stop shop for new businesses (single contact point): https://downtownsanrafael.org/san-rafael-go-2025/
Economic Strategic Plan adopted
Gateway beautification project starting soon (freeway entrance signage/landscaping)
San Rafael Arts District: 5 public art installations coming by end of year: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/san-rafael-city-council-approves-five-public-art-installations/
Budget Challenges
Hiring freeze is currently in place
Public safety costs rising (police/fire are majority of city employees)
Fee studies underway for parks, traffic, recreation (first review in 20+ years) to “right size” city fees
Measure D - Library Parcel Tax increase
Neighborhood-Specific Issues
A park feasibility study has been funded for specific Montecito area location near Embarcadero Way
Residential parking permit program available ($100K+ study completed)
Crossing guard program: Algorithm-based allocation, some positions moving to Miller Creek area for elementary and middle schools
Resources & Contact Information
Snapshot bi-monthly newsletter sign-up: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/news-from-the-city-manager/
Alert Marin emergency notifications: https://emergency.marincounty.gov/sign-alertmarin
Mayor’s email available for follow-up questions
District-specific newsletter is being considered
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