Sausalito condominium project faces growing opposition

Opposition is mounting to a condominium development along Sausalito’s historic waterfront.

A petition with more than 1,700 signatures started by a nonprofit called Save Our Sausalito urges members of the City Council to reject the proposal.

The project, called Waterstreet, includes redeveloping four storefronts on the half-acre site at 605-613 Bridgeway.

Linda Fotsch, the owner, filed a SB 330 application with the city for a 45-apartment complex in January, and filed another application for the project under SB 35 — a 59-apartment building —with the city in February. The SB 330 application is being reviewed for completeness; the SB 35 project is undergoing tribal scoping, according to city staff.

The first application included a seven-story complex with five stories for residences. The proposed 59-apartment building would be nine stories tall — with ground floor parking and retail, a level of parking and seven levels of condominiums with setbacks from the existing storefronts. The additional square footage is to offset the increased labor and construction costs, Fotsch said.

“Having a building just of that scale, and also just out of character, could really harm Sausalito economically and culturally,” said Sonia Saltzman, executive director of Save Our Sausalito. “It would definitely set a very, very dangerous precedent for the type of development that could be built in Sausalito, specifically in our historic district.”

The petition claims the housing project does not comply with local regulations, specifically regarding its height. Opponents of the project worry the building will cast a shadow over neighboring businesses and homes, lowering their values and the quality of life. The petition also states that the project would “irreparably damage” a historic district.

Sophia Collier, chair of the group’s board of directors, said the group formed in May due to community concerns about the proposed project. In March, she began going door to door, asking neighbors to sign, but as interest grew she moved the petition online.

“So we started coming together and thinking about what we can do,” Collier said. “It really caught fire. People were really fired up about it.”

Collier said the majority of signees are residents of the city. A paper copy of an earlier version of the petition was filed with the city and had over 400 signatures.

Fotsch has owned the property since around 1997 and has lived in the city for about 35 years. She decided to move forward with the project because of new state housing laws, she said.

The state requires Sausalito to plan for 724 new residences by 2031. However, a 1985 citizens’ initiative, Ordinance 1022, restricts most development in the city’s commercial and industrial areas. Fotsch pointed out that a later resolution, Resolution 3407, clarified the language in Ordinance 1022 and specified that it did not apply to the residential or central-commercial districts.

“The additional height and square footage proposed for this development create opportunities for more residents to live within walking distance to transportation, businesses and services in Sausalito.” Fotsch said. “A walking community that supports downtown businesses will be a win for all.”

The petitioners are calling for the applicant to redesign the project to better fit the historic character of the area and to align with city codes. Collier said a smaller, shorter building — around 16 apartments — would be more in line with the local area.

Fotsch said Sausalito is facing a housing shortage, and the state’s home ownership is at its lowest level since the 1940s. She added that the city’s downtown historic district has been in a downward slump that has impacted city finances, considering over half of its income comes from its businesses. The housing project, she said, would help revitalize the area.

“I understand that change can be challenging, especially in a town that has not approved multifamily housing in over 50 years,” Fotsch said. “However, with change comes opportunity. Waterstreet presents an opportunity to strengthen Sausalito’s housing availability while simultaneously revitalizing the downtown area.”

Collier said she worries about the economic impact of the project. She said not only would nearby housing values decrease due to a loss of views, but the project could also bring overdevelopment and gentrification.

“Boom, now we start to get Miami Beach,” Collier said. “Starting something like that would destroy Sausalito. Sausalito is this funky, bayside kind of property of different types. Having Sausalito turn into this kind of glass, high-end Miami Beach, the only people that could afford to buy that are very wealthy.”