Sausalito residents have approved two measures to rezone 13 parcels to satisfy the state’s housing mandate.
Measure J, which would rezone a dozen parcels in the central commercial district and the Marinship area for apartment buildings, was leading by 1,515 to 469 votes, or about 76% to 24%, with all precincts reporting Tuesday night. The question was not controversial, according to city officials, as the sites are mostly underused office buildings.
Measure K, which would rezone 2 acres of city land at MLK Park’s southwestern edge for a 50-apartment complex for low-income seniors, was leading by 1,154 to 848 votes, or about 58% to 42%. The measure generated neighborhood opposition.
Both measures require simple majorities for passage.
“I am very pleased because it appears that voters made informed decisions,” said Mayor Joan Cox. “When you look at the disparity in the yes and no votes for Measure J and Measure K you can see that voters actually made thoughtful decisions and did not automatically vote for both.”
“The City was conscientious in ensuring that voters had adequate facts available for them to decide,” she said.
The passage of both measures was necessary to comply with state-mandated deadlines to plan to add 724 new dwellings by 2031.
Measure J would allow between 415 and 530 dwellings to be built, according to an analysis by City Attorney Sergio Rudin.
Opponents of Measure K argued that MLK Park was a busy and beloved community hub and recreation center that would become congested if the apartments are built.
“MLK Park is unique and cannot be easily replaced,” said Joe Penrod of the opposition group Build Smart Sausalito.
Proponents of Measure K said the city had few options to develop affordable housing and said the park’s amenities would remain.
“The city is not proposing to abandon any existing park,” said Cox, who lives nearby and recused herself when the matter was before the City Council. She independently supported Measure K as part of a campaign called Sensible Housing Sausalito.
“The only portion of MLK property affected by Measure K is an existing nonconforming use: a dilapidated office building which houses certain commercial tenants who will be relocated at city expense,” Cox said. “Measure K preserves all other existing uses of MLK Park: the tennis courts, the basketball courts, the pickleball courts, the ball field, the existing school uses, the dog park and the existing parking uses.”
If one or both measures failed, the city could have faced a range of fines and penalties from state housing officials.
Cox and Vice Mayor Steven Woodside said the MLK parcel was the city’s only site where a 50-apartment affordable complex could be built. That’s because the city cannot force developers of privately owned land to include affordable dwellings, they said.
However, by granting developers a 99-year lease, the city can ensure affordable residences will be built and the structure will also meet the city’s building standards.
But Penrod described several “worst case” scenarios where a taller, 105-apartment complex could emerge if the city’s effort to partner with a developer faltered.