NOVATO

Police arrest suspect in residential burglary

An alleged thief was arrested in Novato after an investigation that lasted numerous seconds, police said.

The incident happened at about 10 p.m. Sunday in the neighborhood at Redwood Boulevard and Escallonia Drive just south of San Marin Drive. Police stopped a cyclist who was riding without proper lighting equipment, then received a call from a dispatcher about a bicycle that had just been stolen from a resident’s garage nearby on Lotus Court.

The resident provided a description of the bicycle, which matched the inadequately lighted apparatus their detainee had been pedaling.

Rudy Manfredo Ipina-Guerra, 26, of San Rafael was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools and violating his probation conditions. Police also detained him on an outstanding arrest warrant from Sonoma County.

Ipina-Guerra remained in custody Monday.

MILL VALLEY

Townhome proposal returns to city board

The Planning Commission has set a design review hearing on a proposal to build five two-story townhomes at 20 Sunnyside Ave.

The property is occupied by an office building and a parking lot. The plan calls for dividing the parcel and constructing the homes on the part where the parking lot is.

The two-bedroom residences would be 750 to 1,000 square feet and be built on top of a parking garage. The project would require the removal of eight Eugenia trees, according to a city staff report.

The commission hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall. The commission held two study sessions on the project last year, and the original proposal for 12 residences was reduced.

larkspur

City to hold hearings on building requests

The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold hearings on three residential projects.

One application includes a plan to legalize an unpermitted residence at 15 Hazel Ave. that used to be an art studio, according to a city staff report. The property owner wants to remodel the structure into a three-bedroom rental home. The project that would require a parking variance, a setback variance and a “natural state” variance.

Another application seeks to legalize 172 square feet of unpermitted additions to a 2,126-square-foot house at 3 Heather Way. The request requires a floor area variance and a setback variance.

The other application requests a second-story addition at 206 William Ave. The project requires a floor area exception, a setback variance and a parking variance.

The commission will review the applications during its meeting at 7 p.m. today at City Hall.

Business

Bank of Marin posts 4th-quarter earnings

Bank of Marin Bancorp, the parent company of Bank of Marin, announced its fourth-quarter earnings Monday, reporting $6 million for the period.

The earnings for the third quarter of 2024 were $4.6 million, the company said. The fourth-quarter earnings in 2023 were $610,000.

The company is based in Novato and operates branches in Marin and six other counties.