Sausalito board approves plan for inn at old bank

The Sausalito Planning Commission has approved a proposal to convert a 100-year-old bank building into a restaurant and inn.

The former Wells Fargo branch is on a 4,372 square-foot parcel at 715 Bridgeway. The owner, Kent Ipsen, plans to make it a three-room hotel called Inn the Pocket.

The commission held a hearing on the proposal on Dec. 11. The vote in favor was unanimous.

“I’m not a developer, I’m a businessman,” Ipsen said. “We find unique, interesting, outrageously cool places to house these businesses and this one is surely at the pinnacle of that list.”

Matthew Mandich, a city planner, said the two-story stone bank was designed by H.H. Winner and built in 1924 as the Bank of Sausalito. Later it became the American Trust and Savings Bank, which eventually merged with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo left in July 2023.

The building contributes to the city’s Downtown Historic District, is on the local and state historical register and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

“The building itself remains largely unaltered, especially the facades on the east and south on Bridgeway and Excelsior Lane, which are very well preserved now for 100 years, so it remains in great shape and one of our prized historical buildings in the city,” Mandich said.

The city’s historical architect, Jerri Holan, recommended that the commission approve the project. Holan determined that the project conformed to the secretary of the interior’s standards for historic properties.

The city’s historic preservation committee approved the project in October.

Commissioner Andrew Junius said historical buildings are difficult to use, and that San Francisco is littered with vacant, derelict historical buildings. He said projects in these buildings are slowed down sometimes in the name of “preservation,” and felt the inn project was ideal for the building.

“This really is an enormously special and unique opportunity for Sausalito and we can’t screw this up,” Junius said.

Ipsen plans to preserve many of the building’s elements, like the 20-foot-tall arched windows and the columns. He will restore some of the building’s historical elements, like extending the front façade to the back of the buildings and adding “period-appropriate” exterior lamps.

“As the owner of the building, I feel like I’m a steward of the historic building that has been a landmark in this community forever,” Ipsen said. “So it’s my job to safeguard and protect that landmark and also energize it and allow more people in the community, both locals and tourists to come in and experience it in its full glory.”

The restaurant and bar on the ground floor would accommodate up to 105 guests inside and seat 16 people outside, Ipsen said. The second-floor hotel would include a garden courtyard, a hot tub and a rooftop deck with seating.

“It’s a very bespoke, elevated experience to stay in these three suites,” Ipsen said.

The proposed hours for the restaurant are 11 a.m to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday; 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Some residents expressed concerns over potential noise, specifically from the back deck. Kristina Feller, a member of the Planning Commission, asked staff to look into the operating hours of nearby outdoor dining locations.

“The fact of the matter is that there are other establishments that are larger, that have actually more outdoor areas than this particular property, and those hours are longer than this particular applicant has expressed their interest for operation,” Feller said.

The Planning Commission’s approval included two conditional use permits, one for a hotel in the city’s central commercial zone and one for the sale of alcohol. The commission approved a minor use permit for the outdoor dining on the sidewalk adjacent to Bridgeway, and a permit was for new signage.

The commission added some conditions of approval, including requiring a hotel staff member on site or available around the clock, and closing the sidewalk dining area earlier than the inside dining room.

“This is how you save these buildings,” Junius said.