The Hanging Flower Baskets of Corte Madera
Corte Madera appreciated faster last year in average sales than just about anywhere in Marin County. Average sales price was up 21%, to well over $1,000,000, while the Marin County average was 16%. Belvedere, by comparison, only increased 3%.
Why is Corte Madera, and the other Twin City, Larkspur, appreciating so rapidly? We’ve lived here 16 years, and watched it grow from the “affordable†Central Marin community where you got a lot more for your money to where it is today: a vibrant, desirable small town with property values that rival Mill Valley. What happened?
One of the keys, we believe, was a group that started about 15 years ago that called themselves the Corte Madera Beautification Committee. Founded by a small group that had lived here for a long time, and loved the small town feel of the town, they also wanted to make it look more desirable. There was also one newcomer among the founders – my wife and business partner, Pat.
They focused on a couple of key areas, and simple improvements. Meinke Park, which is the old Town Square, was the immediate focus of their work. Many commuters from Larkspur, Kentfield, and San Anselmo drive by it every single day, and it is highly visible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very attractive.
The Beautification Committee raised money through private donations, and also by starting what has become one of the town’s best parties, the Oktoberfest, held the second Saturday in October in Meinke Park. They used the money to purchase what has now become one of the most powerful visual symbols of the town: the hanging flower baskets that now line Tamalpais Avenue.
Originally maintained and watered by volunteers, the baskets have become so popular that residents now mark the arrival of spring by the appearance of the huge baskets, overflowing with blooms well into October. They’ve expanded to the East Side of town, where they now line the Bayside Trail along Paradise Drive. The Village Shopping Center, Marin’s biggest and best upscale mall with shops like Nordstrom’s and Restoration Hardware, has also added the baskets to their grounds.
And last year, they expanded to San Francisco, from Corte Madera! Matt Smyth, a Larkspur resident who works for the City, was looking for a way to upgrade the area around the Civic Center. He drives by the hanging baskets every day, a light bulb went off, and next thing you know, San Francisco is now planning to add hundreds more of the hanging baskets!
The Beautification Committee did much more, such as flowers in the median strips, an official town sign and logo, and numerous other planting projects. And the flower baskets aren’t the only reason property values have risen – but they might be the most visible symbol of the transformation of Corte Madera.
