"The Lucky's parcel is a privately owned parcel, so the government only has so many levers it can do," Mayor Stephanie Andre told the Marin Independent Journal in July. "We can't really dictate what goes in that space, although we can try to use the tools we can to encourage a market."
That quote explains most of what has happened downtown this year. The best-known grocery site in Larkspur belongs to someone else. So the city has put its effort into the downtown property it does control, the public parking lot off Magnolia Avenue. That is where downtown food shopping is being rebuilt, one Tuesday at a time.
The building at 570 Magnolia, as of late July
The Lucky store at 570 Magnolia Ave. closed in 2023 after about 40 years. According to the Marin IJ's July 24 report, Albertsons owns the building, and Save Mart Companies ran the store.
The details of the property are why it is hard to fill:
| Detail | As reported July 24, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Building size | 26,344 square feet |
| Land | About 2 acres |
| Zoning | "Transitional downtown," which allows residential or commercial use, among other options |
| Sale terms | Listed by CBRE with no price, at "best offer" |
Under that zoning, a buyer doesn't have to put a grocery store on the site. The city has tried to make one more attractive. Its housing element includes an incentive that speeds up approvals if a developer includes a grocery store on the property. That makes a grocery cheaper and faster to approve. It can't make anyone build one.
As of the late-July reporting, there was no named buyer, no application and no proposed tenant. Mayor Andre said she had been talking with grocery operators about other locations in Larkspur, but she didn't give details because the talks were ongoing.
Why the parking lot was the only option left
Before the summer, the city had already started working around the Lucky site. A staff report dated May 28, 2026, from City Manager Dan Schwarz states the goal plainly. One of Mayor Andre's initiatives for the year was "to restore some form of grocery/produce shopping opportunity to Downtown Larkspur."
The report also explains why the effort landed where it did. Downtown has few spots that suit a market. In the report's words, "Private property options proved unavailable, leaving the City's Downtown parking lot as the only viable option."
The city didn't invent the format either. The report says San Anselmo and Ross already let a single-vendor "farm stand" sell produce and other goods on public property, under a license agreement. Larkspur used the same approach.
On June 17, 2026, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 47/26. It authorizes a license agreement with Jim Baum, doing business as Marin County Farm Stands, to use city-owned property. It also makes an exception to city policy so the stand can promote its Larkspur location on designated banner spots.
What the Tuesday stand brings to Magnolia
Marin Dish announced the stand's start date as Tuesday, June 23. It runs every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine, in the downtown lot between Left Bank Brasserie and the American Legion. It is a one-operator market, but it offers more than produce. Marin Dish lists seasonal fruits and vegetables, sustainably raised meats, fresh seafood, artisan cheeses, breads, oysters, honey and olive oil.
Marin Dish names these producers among those sold there:
- Star Route Farms
- Paradise Valley Produce
- Chileno Valley Ranch
- Cowgirl Creamery
- Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
- McEvoy Ranch
- Brickmaiden Breads
- Hog Island Oyster Co.
- Drakes Bay Oyster Company
- Marin Roots Farm
- County Line Harvest
Most of those names are from West Marin and nearby farm country. The listing describes the stand as a way to showcase Marin County's farm products, with neighboring farms and producers filling in when something isn't available locally. It doesn't replace a full grocery store. You won't find paper towels or cereal there. But for cheese, bread, fish and the week's vegetables, Magnolia Avenue once again has a regular place to buy them.
The trade the city made for it
Downtown parking was the price. The staff report is direct about it. The stand doesn't need the whole lot, but without a barrier that can stop a vehicle, staff saw a risk of a car hitting the stand or its customers.
Staff estimated that water-filled barriers would cost about $1,000 per event in staff time and resources. That cost would normally fall to the vendor, and the vendor said it would be too expensive. The operator offered to park his own vehicle as the barrier, but worried that would make the stand harder for shoppers to see.
To keep cars out of the space the stand needs, staff said the affected area would have to stay clear for all of Tuesday.
Because of that, the report asked the council to decide that downtown shopping of this kind "is in the public's interest," since it removes public parking on market days. The council voted unanimously, which settled that question for the pilot.
The same report also describes a bigger idea, a Thursday afternoon and early-evening farmers' market run by a market operator. That market would close two rows of the lot and take 15 parking spaces out of use. The council action recorded in the June 17 minutes covers the Tuesday farm stand license.
A one-year test with a May 2027 review
The city set this up as a pilot. The license and encroachment permit run for one year and must be renewed each year. Staff planned to use the first year to watch how the space is used and work out a fair long-term rent.
The report says staff "will return in May 2027 to report on the pilot program" and give the council and the community a chance to discuss whether it should continue. That means the stand's future depends on how this winter and next spring go. Seasonal stands can change their hours as the weather turns, so check this week's schedule with the operator before you plan a Tuesday shop around it.
The slower tools aimed at empty buildings
At the June 17 meeting, the council also held a public workshop on rules for vacant properties, including a possible vacant property parcel tax. The Marin Independent Journal reported that a parcel tax would need approval from two-thirds of voters, and that the council asked staff to come back with another workshop.
As of the July 24 report, Schwarz said staff was still working out what a tax could look like and would bring it back to the council for a workshop. He added that the city was also looking at other ways to deal with vacant buildings.
The council also asked staff to schedule a future workshop on the city's vision for downtown Larkspur and its Downtown Specific Plan, known as CLASP. Those discussions will shape what happens on Magnolia over the long run. Any tax would still need a ballot measure and a two-thirds vote, and the downtown vision workshop appears in the June 17 minutes only as a request for a future date. Until one of those moves forward, the parking-lot pilot is the city's working answer.
Where downtown's food shopping happens this week
For a household near Magnolia Avenue, groceries now come from three places on different schedules:
| Where | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Marin Community Farm Stands, downtown Larkspur lot between Left Bank Brasserie and the American Legion | Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine, per its June launch listing | Produce, meat, seafood, cheese, bread, oysters, honey, olive oil |
| Marin Country Mart farmers' market | Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine | Local produce, meat, seafood, baked goods and more |
| Mollie Stone's Greenbrae Market, 270 Bon Air Center | Daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Full grocery |
The Saturday market at Marin Country Mart is the one with state certification. The California Department of Food and Agriculture's list of certified farmers' markets, dated October 1, 2026, includes it under Larkspur. The Tuesday stand works under a different arrangement, a city license with a single operator. Neither market is open the other five days. On those days, the nearest full grocery is Mollie Stone's at Bon Air Center.
The empty building at 570 Magnolia will matter most when someone buys it. For now, the Tuesday stand in the downtown lot is the only part of Larkspur's grocery plan you can shop at, and in May 2027 the council will decide whether it stays.
If you own a home near downtown Larkspur and want to talk about how changes on Magnolia Avenue could affect your plans, Greg Corvi follows these council decisions closely and is glad to talk. Request a complimentary home valuation & consultation.
