San Rafael, CA – Starting in September, the parking lot at McNears Beach Park along San Pablo Bay in eastern San Rafael will be repaved to enhance visitor experiences. The project will take several months and will present some inconveniences, including a temporary suspension of area reservations.
The deteriorated parking lot at McNears Beach Park will receive fresh asphalt and other improvements. Marin County Parks originally paved the parking lot in the 1970s. The improvement project will include fresh asphalt and wider entries to both the main lot and overflow lot. Project plans approved in June 2021 factored in upgrades to stormwater drainage, including bioretention planters, and irrigation systems and new low-water plantings of shade trees and shrubs.
McNears is one of the most popular Marin County Parks facilities, drawing several thousand people per week during busy seasons. It features bayside recreational and picnicking opportunities and beautiful views. The 55-acre park at 201 Cantera Way has easy carry-in access for kayaks and canoes, tennis courts, a swimming pool (closed during the pandemic), an accessible fishing pier, and is a designated trailhead on the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail. It is surrounded by trees, turf areas, and a beach.
On August 10, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a construction contractor bid from Bauman Landscape and Construction for $683,683. Measure A funds were used to secure $480,201 in grant funds from California Proposition 68, officially known as the California Parks and Water Bond Act of 2018.
Signage about the project will be posted at McNears and online.