In July 2025, a burger truck pulled up at Menke Park in Old Corte Madera Square, at 220 Corte Madera Ave. The Marin Independent Journal reported that Humble Cheeseburger was serving there Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., as one of the first vendors in the town's new microbusiness pilot.
Today the truck is based at Town Park. Over the same stretch, Corte Madera wrote the pilot into permanent code and added time limits to the parking around Menke Park. Parking around Menke Park ran through both decisions. Concern about it helped hold Menke Park to one vendor in the new code, and it is the problem the new time limits in the square are meant to ease.
The pilot ran into parking first
The town launched its Microbusiness Pilot Program at Menke Park in June 2025. The Planning Commission staff report on the code update lists the goals: create a welcoming space, improve the park experience, and see whether mobile food businesses suit Corte Madera.
That same report records what the pilot taught. At the August 2026 Planning Commission meeting, Chair Chase said parking demand at Menke Park had been a concern while Humble Burger was there. Staff said nearby businesses had sent "numerous comments" about parking and competition during the pilot. One commissioner was willing to allow two vendors at Menke Park. Staff recommended keeping it at one.
Staff said the one-vendor limit was meant to balance support for microbusinesses against the effects on surrounding businesses and parking.
The code turned that lesson into numbers
The Town Council introduced the Commercial Code Modernization ordinance on September 15. On October 6 it waived the second reading and adopted Ordinance No. 1061 on a 5-0 consent vote. The ordinance creates a new chapter for microbusinesses in parks and the public right-of-way. It caps the number of vendors at each location:
| Location | Maximum microbusinesses |
|---|---|
| Menke Park | 1 |
| Town Park | 4 |
| Cove School / San Clemente Park | 1 |
| One additional right-of-way spot, with a use permit | 1 |
| Townwide total | 7 |
Permits run for an initial two-year term and can be renewed. After the Planning Commission's review, the draft was revised so the town checks each operation at least once every 12 months for compliance with its permit conditions.
The ordinance covers more than food trucks. According to the Marin IJ's account of the overhaul, it also updates the rules for outdoor dining and fitness classes, special events and temporary uses, and street vendors. A separate chapter on sidewalk vending was written to comply with Senate Bill 946, the state law that limits how cities can restrict vendors selling from pushcarts and stands.
Community Development Director Amy Lyle told the Marin IJ what the town expects: "I don't think we're expecting a flood of food trucks." The caps back her up. Seven slots across the whole town is a small number, and Town Park holds more than half of them.
Town Park got the truck
Humble Cheeseburger's own site now says the truck is based at Corte Madera Town Park, is there regularly apart from occasional private events, and serves Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. A Marin IJ photo shows it serving at Town Park on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The hours changed with the location. At Menke Park in 2025 the truck served Tuesday through Saturday. At Town Park it serves Wednesday through Sunday, so it now covers Sundays.
The surroundings at Town Park are different too. Marin Magazine's August 2026 Corte Madera dining guide places Cafe Verde Pizzeria at 502 Tamalpais Drive, next to Town Park. The Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce lists 502 to 518 Tamalpais Drive as the Park Madera center, with Pet Club among its shops. A burger at the truck, a pizza next door and a stop at Pet Club are all within a short walk of each other along that stretch of Tamalpais.
Under the new code, Town Park has room for three more vendors.
Old Corte Madera Square gets two-hour parking
Menke Park sits in a different setting. The Chamber describes Old Corte Madera Square, at Tamalpais Drive and Corte Madera Avenue, as home to more than 20 specialty shops. Zinz Wine Bar, at 207 Corte Madera Ave., is one of the downtown spots in Marin Magazine's guide. With that many businesses in a small area, the parking spaces get used by shop customers, park visitors, employees and nearby residents all at once.
The Marin IJ's report on the parking changes quotes Lyle: "As we worked with the residents and the businesses in this area, we received a lot of complaints around parking." The complaints included too little parking for businesses and employees parking on residential streets. Lyle said the issues likely came from a variety of factors, including the microbusiness program and more activity downtown.
The town hired the engineering firm Parametrix to study parking in the square and held two public workshops on the proposals. On October 6, the Town Council adopted Resolution No. 43/2026 on a 5-0 vote. The changes are:
- Menke Park: parking limited to two hours
- Montecito Drive: four new one-hour spaces
- Montecito Drive gravel parking: newly marked, with a 72-hour limit
- Corte Madera Avenue past First Street and Hill Path: existing parking restrictions removed
Corte Madera already bans parking for more than 72 hours anywhere in town. Public Works Director Chris Good told the council the gravel spots needed signs because "there have been cars that have parked for weeks on end." Code enforcement officers will enforce the new limits, with help from the Central Marin Police Authority on weekends.
Staff described these changes as a first step. The town wants to see whether they work before considering other options. People at the workshops also asked for a residential permit program. The council agreed to review how the limits perform after they have been in place for a while, and it discussed making the County-owned lot near Montecito Drive easier to find and use.
The town described the limits as a way to improve turnover and availability for businesses, customers, residents and visitors. Those are the same Menke Park spaces that parking concerns about a single vendor centered on during the pilot.
The one Menke Park slot
The single Menke Park permit has drawn interest from a local baker. The Marin IJ reported that several residents spoke at the September meeting in support of Amy Hughes's application for a coffee cart at Menke Park. Hughes told the council the park is underused and that her business would help fill a void. Her proposal, Town Buzz Cafe, was covered by the Marin IJ in July 2025 as the pilot got started. She also spoke during public comment at the October 6 meeting, the same night the ordinance was adopted.
Under the code, Menke Park holds one vendor at a time, with a two-year permit and a review every 12 months.
This post is general information about town rules. Check posted signs and the Town of Corte Madera's own pages for the current terms.
If you live near Menke Park or Town Park and are weighing what the parking changes and vendor permits mean for your block, I've been following both closely and am glad to talk them through. Schedule a consultation with AnneLise Staal.
