Commission adopts six‑month pilot for community‑center parking rentals with amended fees and minimums

Mario Lazinaro, recreation coordinator at the Mill Valley Community Center, proposed a new procedure to rent parking spaces at the community center: a daily reservation window from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., a 72‑hour minimum notice, and a proposed cap of 30 spaces per day. Staff originally suggested a $10 resident/$15 nonresident daily price and noted comparable rates in neighboring jurisdictions, while also flagging that encroachment permits on streets run significantly higher.

Commission discussion focused on operational workload, equity and ADA compliance. Chair (Speaker 1) and multiple commissioners expressed concern about allowing single‑spot rentals and the staff time required to manage many small requests. Commissioners suggested blocks of spaces, minimum reservation sizes, and tying rental availability to existing facility contracts for major events. Staff and commissioners also discussed reserving or accommodating ADA spaces; staff proposed that ADA reservations be handled by contacting staff directly and that staff will research legal compliance and ratio implications.

After debate, the commission amended the staff proposal to: require a minimum reservation of five spaces (blocks of five), run the program as a six‑month pilot, and set launch rates at $15 per day for Mill Valley residents and $20 per day for Greater Mill Valley and beyond. The chair moved adoption of the amended policy; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

"We decided on 30 spaces as a daily maximum... The 2 different pricings we are thinking of are $10 per space for residents and $15 per space for Greater Mill Valley and beyond," Lazinaro said in the initial presentation. The commission's approved launch rates reflect the amended terms agreed at the meeting.