Ross approves Marin Art and Garden Center upgrades

The Ross Town Council has approved a plan for renovations at the Marin Art and Garden Center.

The plan includes installing a new stage and upgrading the outdoor event space known as the Livermore Pavilion.

“Boy, that’s a popular project. No opposition? Wow,” Mayor Bill Kircher at the council meeting Thursday.

The 9.8-acre site at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. dates to the 1860s. It was owned by the Worn family and the Kittle family until the 1940s, when environmentalist Caroline Livermore bought the estate to preserve it from development.

Developed in 1945 as a war memorial, it was the site of the Marin County Fair until the 1970s. It received a National Register of Historic Places designation in 2022.

The site has structures that date to its foundation. The updates are inspired by historical designs from the era. The effort has been dubbed the “Sowing the Seeds” project.

An update has been in the works since 2016 when fundraising began. It is estimated to cost about $7.5 million.

The work includes upgrades to the buildings that were built before regulations were set in place to ensure safety near creeks and waterways. The planned updates will reveal parts of the creek and ensure that the structures are sound.

Roberta Feliciano, the town’s building and planning director, said the Livermore Pavilion updates include new redwood screens, a trellis, new windows, roofing, posts, railings, stairs, landings, decking and guardrails. The stage will be reduced by 31 square feet to include a shade cover, platform, siding and steps.

“Overall the impervious surfaces will be decreased by 16,000 square feet,” Feliciano said.

The project will also include new storage structures, 7-foot fences and signage, she said. The 275-square-foot storage structure will be demolished and replaced by a 375-foot storage structure at the rear of the pavilion. The landscape renovations will include updated decks, planting, paving, lighting and paths.

The town Advisory Design Review Group advanced the project last month.

The plans also include a parking area designed for better circulation, a new kiosk and updated sidewalks. To enhance pedestrian traffic, an entrance will be phased out and the new signs will guide an updated path. The plan also includes accessibility changes, such as ramps, slope grading and bathrooms that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.