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Boats are stored along Road 3 in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\nWith Sausalito needing millions more dollars for infrastructure and sea-level rise projects, the city will revisit a controversial 1985 ordinance limiting the working waterfront\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
Ordinance 1022 is one of the city\u2019s political third rails. It seeks to preserve its maritime character \u201cby reducing permissible density in commercial and industrial areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
During two planning workshops in recent weeks, City Council members agreed the city needs to increase revenues feeding its $30 million annual budget by a third if it is to make tangible progress renovating its roads, drainage and other infrastructure as well as protect its shoreline from rising water.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was strong alignment on revenue, strong alignment on infrastructure and tools to finance infrastructure,\u201d City Manager Chris Zapata said of the emerging agenda. \u201cThere was strong alignment on economic vitality. There was strong alignment on maritime waterfront and Marinship planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The possible efforts include identifying every option that might raise $1 million or more in new revenue that does not involve raising property taxes, adopting a city charter to increase the city\u2019s real estate transfer tax by twentyfold, and creating a special infrastructure financing district for the working waterfront anchored by the Marinship neighborhood.<\/p>\n
The Marinship area is the former World War II shipyard covering 200-plus acres on the city\u2019s northern end. In 1985, ordinance 1022 was adopted to prevent high-rise residences and hotels from gentrifying its mix of boatyards, art studios and affordable residences \u2014 which, at that time, meant unpermitted houseboats and live-aboard boats.<\/p>\n
Boats are stored along Road 3 in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\n
\u201cI proffered repealing ordinance 1022 as one measure among many to try to help fix our town,\u201d Councilmember Ian Sobieski said during the Feb. 12 workshop. \u201cTry to add $10 million a year to our budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mention of repealing 1022 sparked fervent public comments and eclipsed other initiatives backed by all council members.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe maritime district is a valuable resource that requires careful planning and protection so we don\u2019t suffer the same fate as most working waterfronts that have been gentrified, redeveloped and transformed out of existence,\u201d said Craig Merrilees, a board member for the nonprofit Sausalito Working Waterfront Coalition.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not wholesale remove ordinance 1022\u2019s zoning protection, but we can make changes,\u201d said John De Re. \u201cHigher FAR (floor area ratio), far shorter setbacks and second-floor offices, if done right, can increase economic output.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think 1022 made sense some time in the past,\u201d said Adrian Brinton of Positive People for Sausalito, a citizens group. \u201cIt stopped the office buildings in the \u201980s. Now it is protecting the office buildings. \u2026 A lot of the maritime that we say we value, so much rotting into the bay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several council members said it is important to keep their strategic discussion in perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of taking a look at it does not forecast what the result is going to be,\u201d Mayor Steven Woodside said after the comments. \u201cI think we have all learned more recently, in light of the king tides and other factors, that we have some big issues to solve and it\u2019s going to take some investment in order to solve those.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say that we\u2019re not doing anything or ignoring the waterfront, especially the Marinship area, is just not true,\u201d said Councilmember Jill Hoffman.<\/p>\n
Last November, voters rezoned parcels in the Marinship area to allow 400 new residences, she said. The city\u2019s shoreline adaptation plan is being revised with new input from maritime businesses.<\/p>\n
Hoffman urged the council to table its review of 1022, but the rest of the panel supported taking a closer look.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019m impatient, but I don\u2019t think so,\u201d said Woodside. \u201cWe see parts of the Marinship sinking. We see parts of the Marinship unable, on its own, to sustain itself against sea-level rise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we deal with it without some real comprehensive planning that tries to both protect and preserve, as well as create enough of an economic engine?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone on this dais cares deeply about preserving the working waterfront and preserving maritime uses,\u201d said Vice Mayor Melissa Blaustein.<\/p>\n
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Boats are docked in Clipper Yacht Harbor in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\n
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Underwater gear and other items are displayed in the shop window of Harbor Dive in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\n
![\"Floating](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MIJ-L-SAUS-GOALS-0219-07.jpg?w=620\")
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Floating homes stand beyond the Chevron fuel dock in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\n
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Boats are docked in Clipper Yacht Harbor in the Marinship area of Sausalito, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alan Dep\/Marin Independent Journal)<\/p>\n