Melissa Pergerson stared at the dilapidated wood paddle wheel rescued from an ancient steam boat, stashed in a forgotten yard in Sausalito’s industrial Marinship neighborhood, and thought back to her childhood.
“As a little kid we would play on here and climb up on it,” said Pergerson, who along with her sister Allisandre Haas grew up in Sausalito’s houseboat community.
The industrial neighborhood Pergerson now combed through was filled with rotting buildings, many that witnessed the building of Liberty Ships during World War II. Now they served as under-the-radar wood shops, leather works, and artist studios.
“This is character,” Pergerson said. “This is history.”
Two perspectives of the industrial Marinship are at the center of a contentious battle in Sausalito on the November ballot. Measure X would change zoning laws in the town, allowing building owners to build taller, larger buildings with the possibility of expanded uses such as breweries, cafes and bakeries that can sell to the public on site.
It would replace Ordinance 1022, passed by voters in 1985 to regulate development, density, and traffic in industrial areas on the Marinship waterfront, with an eye toward preserving the town’s eccentric character.
But many business owners complain the ordinance is preventing them from updating buildings, opening new businesses that can increase revenue, and appeal to a new generation of visitors.
“We’re so well known for doing cool things in the 60s and 70s, but we’re not a museum,” said Sharna Brockett, a Sausalito resident who helped write Measure X. “There’s all this new energy that want to do these things, but we’re really holding them back by these laws that were designed for a different time.”
Brockett cited longtime local business Heath Ceramics, which she said would have to go to a public vote in order to install a roof on its work yard. She said the business has been beset by king tide floods, which make it difficult to remain in Marinship.
“They want to stay here,” Brockett said. “But they don’t know if they’re going to be able to stay here because they can’t make their building more usable.”
KC Pederson, the third generation owner of the Clipper Yacht Harbor in Marinship, said Sausalito’s restrictive rules have made it difficult for him and others to install new businesses that can generate enough revenue to pay for upgrades to failing buildings. He said he would love to bring in businesses like coffee shops, bakeries, a retail fish market and maritime retail. But current zoning laws prevent him from doing any of those ideas.
“We need mix use, and there’s two sides of that,” Pederson said. “One to bring in more money to sustain that building — also businesses that bring people to the waterfront.”
Curtis Havel, the harbormaster of Clipper Yacht Harbor, pointed out a two-story office building on the property. When the top floor became vacant, he and his team envisioned opening a bodega or a craft brewery shop.
“While it sounded like a great idea, the answer is no before we even walk through the doors of city hall,” Havel said.
But residents like Pergerson worry that Measure X would pave the way for high-end condos and large corporate businesses to take over the waterfront. The measure would extend height limits from the current 32 feet to 47 feet, allowing for three- or possibly four-story buildings.
Pergerson and her sister, who own Tile Fever tile shop in Marinship, erected poles on top of their building with streamer lines to designate the current height limit and what it would look like under Measure X.
“It changes the character of Sausalito — the Marinship’s plan 1022 was put in place for a reason,” Pergerson said. “To protect the culture, to protect the community, to protect the workers that are here.”
Sausalito Councilman Jill Hoffman echoed that concern. She said Measure X would allow new development proposals to pass with the support of three of the city council’s five members. She argued it would usurp environmental controls and other checks and balances from the voters
“Anybody can come into city hall the day after this passes and plop down some sort of development plan,” Hoffman said. “And there’s no way for us to say no because there’s no guardrails.”
But Brockett said opponents of Measure X have distorted its aims and are fear mongering with the threat of large developments and high-end condos replacing Sausalito’s funky charms.
“We don’t want this to be a resort. We don’t want huge buildings here. That’s not what Measure X does,” Brockett said. “We just want to be creative again and have property owners be able to reinvest in their buildings.”
Even before the election, Measure X has etched deep divides in the community of 7,000 people. One resident who was job hunting said she feared talking publicly about the measure because she might alienate potential employers.
Pergerson walked through a warren of dilapidated Marinship buildings, admiring an old sailing vessel propped up in the yard with its ribs peaking out beneath the rotting wood. While Measure X supporters hold sights like this as a reason to vote for the measure, Pergerson saw it as a reason not to.
“I get why they want to change things,” Pergerson said. “But I think the way and their look on it isn’t for all of us.”
