Town Hall Project

Over the last three years, the Town of Corte Madera’s staff, design team and active citizenry have engaged in an extensive, robust and inclusive public process to conceptualize a new Town Hall facility that will provide the necessary office space for staff and will be a Corte Madera gathering place and a source of pride for the next 50 to 100 years. This process has included public meetings, workshops, informal conversations, formal public hearings, a tour of our facility and tours of the city halls of our neighboring jurisdictions. We have partnered with professionals as well as our local citizens in the fields of sustainability, historical preservation, environmental protection, energy and carbon neutrality, design and disaster preparedness; all with the goal of creating a civic space that will serve the needs of generations to come. Up to date information about the construction phase of the project can be accessed here.

A full history of the Town’s public process, including links to meeting videos, staff reports, public notices and other information leading up to the final design phase can be accessed below:


The original Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project was unanimously approved by the Town Council on February 2, 2021. That initial project included remodeling the existing building, adding a public plaza and a two-story ~7,500 sq. ft. addition consisting of a Town Council Chambers and offices. Following that approval the Town investigated the option of demolishing the existing building entirely and building a completely new Town Hall. With the old building removed, the design team was able to maximize the efficiency of the floor plans and not be encumbered by the existing structure. The overall size of the new Town Hall will be slightly smaller by about 400 square feet compared to the scope of work originally included in the original Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project. The architecture of the revised project is very similar to the original with the exception that the flat roof on the original building is now a gable roof matching the new council chambers. The design is still centered on the public plaza and the three iconic redwood trees. The maximum height of the revised project is the same as the previous design – approximately 33 feet from the parking lot in the back and approximately 25 feet from the sidewalk on Tamalpais Dr. There are no significant proposed changes to the site plan. When completed, the project is intended to create a more resilient, functional, and inviting community asset that will serve the Town for the next 50-100 years.  The revised Town Hall project was approved by Town Council on June 15, 2021. A history of the approval process is provided below.

June 15, 2021 Town Council Meeting

May 25, 2021 Planning Commission Meeting

May 4, 2021 Town Council Meeting

February 2, 2021 Town Council Meeting

January 19, 2021 Town Council Meeting

  • Meeting video
  • Staff Report (discussion and direction to the Town Manager on how best to proceed with Town Hall facility and operations)

October 27, 2020 Planning Commission Public Meeting 

Environmental Documents

Other Documents

New Process for Town Projects (Ordinance 999)

Last month the Town Council unanimously approved Ordinance 999 establishing a new planning process for town projects.  Town projects are development applications where the Town of Corte Madera is the applicant instead of a private party.  Examples of such projects are the Town Park Dog Park and the digital marquee in front of the Community Center.  The Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project will be the first town project to go through this new process which will include additional community input with the final decision on the project to be made by the Town Council. 

June 23, 2020 Planning Commission Study Session (second preliminary review)

April 28, 2020 Planning Commission Study Session

The Planning Commission Study Session for preliminary review of the project was April 28, 2020. Meeting materials can be accessed by clicking on the title of each document listed below. Reference materials from previous public meetings can also be accessed at the bottom of this page.

  • Meeting Video - Meeting video from the April 28, 2020 Planning Commission Study Session videoconference.
  • Staff Report - A detailed staff report outlining the steps the town has taken to get to where we are today. This includes the variety of public workshops, discussions, and meetings that have taken place. The report describes the purpose and intent of the project, as well as the specific entitlements, reports, and environmental review required for the project to be approved.  Click here for public comment on the project that was submitted after the meeting agenda and packet were released.
  • Power Point Presentation and Audio by Ron Kappe, Project Architect (or download the mp4 file) - This file includes a complete overview of the project’s development history, site analysis, opportunities and constraints, and public outreach, as well as elevations, renderings, and site plans of the proposed two-story Town Hall Remodel and Addition.
  • Town Hall Project Plan Set - This is the full plan set to date, including site plans, elevations, renderings, landscape plan, parking lot layout, etc.
  • Public Notice - A formal public notice, dated April 20, 2020.

Moving the Project Design Forward

The current public health crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project’s public review process. Town staff recognize that the current public health crisis has created significant uncertainty regarding the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project’s construction timeline due to the anticipated fiscal impacts resulting from the loss of economic activity in the Town and region. At this point, we expect the project to pause for at least 12 months once the Design Review process is completed. Nonetheless, the project remains a critical piece of the Town’s current infrastructure plan. As we’ve discussed at recent public meetings, the project is intended to be a long-term solution to long-standing, serious deficiencies at our existing Town Hall facility, including issues related to seismic stability, compliance with current building codes (including ADA accessibility), and inadequate capacity and amenities for community and public meetings, permitting, and office functions. The project aims to provide the Town’s residents and business community with a more resilient, functional, and inviting facility that will be a community asset for the next 100 years.

It is extremely important that we continue to pursue approval of a project design through the Planning Commission review process in order to capitalize on the momentum that has been built through robust public discourse and dialogue, including the well-attended Community Workshop on January 30, and to ensure that the considerable time and resources spent by Town staff, the Town Council, our consulting architect Ron Kappe, and many Corte Madera residents, are not wasted. We believe we have finally developed a plan and project design that meets the needs of the Town, respects our residential neighbors and our neighborhood character, and creates public spaces that the entire community can take pride in and we are excited to now be able to show the preliminary design to the Corte Madera community and the Planning Commission.

Questions and Comments

If you have any questions about tasks completed, the current status, or upcoming events of the Town Hall Remodel and Addition Project or if you need help accessing the documents and images on the Project webpage please contact:

Phil Boyle, Senior Planner at 415-927-5067 or pboyle@tcmmail.org.
Jared Barrilleaux, Senior Civil Engineer, at 415-927-5120 or jbarrilleaux@tcmmail.org

Please submit your questions or comments to Phil or Jared by the end of the day on April 22 to allow time for staff to send such comments to the Planning Commissioners prior to the April 28 meeting, and for staff to prepare responses, as necessary, in advance of the April 28 meeting. Comments provided after April 22 will be provided to the Planning Commission, but may not be directly addressed by Staff. For information regarding how to participate and provide comments during the Planning Commission’s April 28 teleconference meeting, please click here.

As a reminder, no action will be taken by the Planning Commission at the April 28 Study Session, but the meeting offers the Commission and members of the public an early opportunity to informally weigh in on issues of planning and design prior to the development of a project application or the scheduling of a formal Planning Commission public hearing.

We understand it is a challenging time for our community, and wish you and your families well, but the input we have received from all of you has significantly shaped and strengthened this important Town project and we look forward to your continued participation in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you.


March 24, 2020 Planning Commission Study Session (meeting cancelled)

This meeting was cancelled and rescheduled for April 28, 2020.

January 30, 2020 Community Workshop

December 12, 2019 Neighborhood Outreach Discussion

November 5, 2019 Town Council meeting

June 4, 2019 Town Council meeting

Community Workshops

  • In May 2019, Community Workshops were conducted to solicit input from the community on site planning and design priorities that would help shape the Town Hall Project. Two Community Workshops were conducted May 11, 2019 and May 13, 2019.

Town Hall Project Working Group meetings

  • In early 2019, a “Working Group” was developed involving stakeholders, local architects, and two members of Town Council to conduct a broad community discussion to think more holistically about needs, location, master planning, and the long-term vision of Town Hall. The outcome of these meetings led to the development of multiple rough concept design options which were presented and discussed at two public “open-house” events held at the Corte Madera Community Center. The Working Group met on February 28, 2019, March 14, 2019, and March 29, 2019.

January 15, 2019 Town Council meeting

December 18, 2018 Town Council meeting

Other documents: