[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/33187820 w=620&h=349] A group of retailers are moving into abandoned storefronts in Old Downtown Oakland in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood in a concept called Popuphood. The idea of pop-up stores, where abandoned storefronts are temporarily occupied by retailers, is not new. They attract foot traffic to areas that don't see many pedestrians and shoppers, giving a run-down neighborhood new buzz and new life. Applying it to a whole neighborhood, with multiple storefronts, is a much larger application. Check it out at 9th & Washington. If you're going by transit, the nearest BART is 12th Street Oakland City Center, which you can get to via GGT to Richmond or San Francisco.

Marin

The Novato Design Review Commission chairwoman resigned mid-meeting to allow a downtown strip mall to proceed without her approval. (IJ)
Last night, Novato debated food trucks and Hanna Ranch. No news as of press time as to decisions made. (Novato Patch)
Lucas Valley: George Lucas's proposed Grady Ranch development drew fire from local residents at a Marin County Planning Commission hearing on the subject. (San Rafael Patch; IJ)
Golden Gate Ferry is now on the winter schedule, cutting a couple of trips per day. (IJ)
Marin County's controversial tree-cutting proposal for West Marin has been scaled back. (IJ)
Last night, the Corte Madera Planning Commission heard details on the WinCup development and Nordstrom's expansion plans at The Village shopping center. The WinCup development was told to push for more sustainability measures. (Larkspur-Corte Madera Patch; IJ)
Anti-chain Marin may end up with a Subway shop in downtown Mill Valley. One commenter: "Declasse". (Mill Valley Patch)
Ross is demanding that an extraordinarily wealthy family fulfill its obligations to the town and remove a fish barrier in Ross Creek on their property. The creek is a spawning habitat for steelhead trout. (IJ)
At long last, the Novato Theater is under new management that plans to reopen the downtown theater to the public. (IJ)
The ongoing controversy in West Marin regarding oyster fishing in Drake's Bay may be a moot point if former Assemblyman Bill Bagley is right and the operations are already legal, per action in the 1970s. (IJ)
Sometimes a coffee shop can stir up quite a bit of trouble: Peet's wants to open up shop in Tiburon but faces opposition from residents who claim the coffee niche is already well-served by local stores. The town's Planning Commission will discuss the issue tonight at 7:30. (IJ)
Some bloggers have uncovered a marvelous bike map of California from the 1890s. (Grist)
The Marin County Board of Supervisors spend the most per-capita on office expenses of any comparable county in the State: $2.7 million. (IJ)

The Greater Marin

It's been a banner week for biking in the Bay Area, with plans for a multi-use path over the Bay Bridge, new bike lanes in Sonoma drawing praise for calming traffic, and new bike infrastructure in Napa. (Chronicle, Press Democrat, Napa Valley Register)
California's shifting demographics means shifting housing demand, too, with 75% of it being for rental, transit-oriented development - just the sort of housing Marin has been reticent to approve. (Urban Land Institute)
San Francisco's performance parking isn't working quite as well as expected, although the experiment is far from over. (Greater Greater Washington)
Cotati is in far better shape than other cities in the region, with a balanced budget, restored programs and active revitalization efforts for downtown and elsewhere. You can see its signature roundabout plan in action. (Rohnert Park Patch)
A Napa cyclist is in a coma after being struck on Thursday. He was in a crosswalk when he was hit by a 70-year-old driver. (Napa Patch)
Americans aren't nearly as attached to their cars as people think, as research shows a strong connection between transit mode share and gas prices. (The Atlantic Cities)