ORDINANCE 1022
Decades ago, a majority of Sausalito residents voted to protect the Marinship District from gentrification, rejecting waterfront condos, large offices, and traffic congestion. They passed Ordinance 1022, a citizen-initiated law that promotes maritime, industrial, and artistic businesses in the former U.S. Navy shipyard while strictly limiting overdevelopment (with exceptions for legacy businesses). While core elements of 1022 retain strong public support, some city council members aligned with property owner interests, favor repealing it for higher profits through up-zoning and traffic-generating projects.
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Sausalito now faces a critical choice: scrap Ordinance 1022 entirely to enable massive housing, tourism, and entertainment development that would destroy the working waterfront and innovative light-industrial sector? Or pursue a balanced approach—preserving key protections against congestion while introducing practical flexibility?
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Experience shows 1022's value. Without it, the Marinship likely would have become another dense waterfront of condos and tourist shops. Instead, Sausalito enjoys a uniquely balanced economy: a visitor-focused downtown and a northern waterfront filled with boatyards, marinas, artists, light industry, tech startups, and a maritime school. This mix has strengthened the city’s economic resilience and character.
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This mix—including successes like Schoonmaker Beach, Le Garage, and Clipper Marina—has strengthened Sausalito's economy. No other city combines a world-famous visitor on one end of town with such an active, "funky" working waterfront of artists, boat workers, and light industry innovator on the other end.
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Critics wrongly blame 1022 for a few dilapidated properties; those fall under the same rules as thriving marinas so why are they not thriving? Also some office buildings have been empty or under-utilized for years while others in the Marinship are nearly full. Some suggest this is a strategy to coerce our city into changing zoning with property owners demanding above-market rents and short leases.
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Beware claims that "retiring" 1022 while "keeping zoning" offers flexibility—once repealed, three council votes could permanently eliminate waterfront protections. And what is this really about? Housing in the Marinship. Not content that certain property owners did not reap lucrative zoning chanes, they and some on city council are willing to expand the number of housing units in Sausalito above and beyond the currently allocated number of 724 + 199 buffer + unknown density bonus units. More units designated in the Marinship at this time will not
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A better path exists: targeted updates to 1022 to boost desired activity without surrendering zoning protections. Examples include higher floor-area ratios (FAR), reduced setbacks, second-floor offices over workshops, and limited on-site sales by craftsmen and makers.