Sausalito moving to buy two parcels
Despite some skepticism, Sausalito officials are moving to buy two parcels next to Dunphy Park for $1.67 million through a private-public partnership with the owner of a liveaboard marina.
The council approved the resolution on Sept. 22, allowing the city manager to authorize the purchase of one waterfront parcel and one submerged parcel from the Bridgeway Marina Corp., as stated in a letter of intent.
“The purchase is still pending,” City Manager Adam Politzer said. “The letter of intent is a good sign that both parties are working together to formalize a purchase through a development agreement.”
With the council’s unanimous approval, the city has entered into negotiations to purchase Lot 5, just north of Locust Street, and an underwater street on Donahue Avenue that is beneath part of the liveaboard marina’s dock.
City officials tout the purchase as a means to protect Dunphy Park’s view corridor and expand it; restore eelgrass beds just off the shore; develop a shoreline path from the public dock and boat ramp at Turney Street to the park; and help plan the revitalization of the bulkhead to provide more shore access for visiting boaters, according to a staff report.
Mayor Susan Cleveland-Knowles said she was skeptical at first about the letter of intent, which includes plans for a parking lot with 72 spaces, But she supports the plan on the grounds it will revitalize the waterfront.
“It really is a huge win for the city, both from a recreational standpoint and just the upgrades that will come to the marina and to the bulkhead,” Cleveland-Knowles said. “I’m also very excited about the side-tie berths and just more public access to the shoreline.”
Some are not so sure. Dur--
ing public comment, Vicki Nichols, a planning commissioner and City Council candidate, said she thought the parking lot would not be developed.
“Locust Street is… a relax of parking requirements for Caledonia Street,” said Nichols, expressing concern that the parking spaces would be “dedicated to the marina” rather than used as general public parking.
Sausalito police Chief John Rohrbacher said municipal Lot 5 is a mixed-use parking lot. He said over the last month, police officers have issued 61 tickets in the lot, which is also the closest lot to the only public shore access on the south side of Turney Street.
Property owner Cameron Razavi plans to add 32 berths, for a total of 92, at the mostly liveaboard marina. Razavi also plans repair about 30 liveaboard berths, install ties for a small mooring field and construct a two-story commercial marine and applied arts building, according to proposed project description.
As part of the agreement, the city would lease out the planned parking spaces in Lot 5 to the marina corporation at $150 per space per quarter over 50 years. The city will also lease out a portion of the submerged Donahue Street at $200 a month per berth. Both of these come with an escalation clause every five years that allows the rate to increase by a minimum of 3%.
Councilman Tom Reilly said the city will pay the cost of the parcels using money generated through the agreement.
“We will charge rent for and pay over timewith credits,” Reilly said. “And our purchase price will have a 3% interest rate.”
Part of the agreement includes helping Razavi reduce the number of live aboard berths from34 to nine through attrition, not eviction. The remaining 83 berths are set to be designated for recreational use, according to project description.
Resident Austin Rice said he’s been paying $1,500 in rent and is worried the city and Razavi will not honor the deal and push people out quickly through rent hikes. “Metering the slips that can easily balloon to a place where attrition could happen within a few months,” Rice said. “I just hope that isn’t the intention.”
Councilwoman Joan Cox said there was language added to the letter of intent that protects liveaboards from eviction in perpetuity, but Razavi has to lower the number of liveaboards to meet the San Francisco Bay Conservation Development Commission’s 10% cap.
“He has more than the BCDC allows a marina to have,” Cox said. “We have asked the BCDC to treat him as it has prior marina operators, which is to allow them to reach the limit of allowable liveaboards through attrition, not eviction.”
Cox said Razavi promised inthe letter of intent that development would not result in evictions.
She added that she would like the BCDC to increase the limit of liveaboards from 10% per marina to 15%. If approved, Razavi would be able to allow 14 liveaboards instead of nine, the letter of intent states.
Liveaboard Katie Amatruda and others aired skepticism over the letter, saying the community — a diverse, multicultural accommodation for 60 to 100 people, including seniors and low-income residents — will be gentrified.
Amatruda said she supports the project, but her rent has gone up constantly over her 10 years there.
“I started at $840 a month, now we’re close to $1,800,” she said. “I would like the ( letter) to investigate if the tenants can have a lease, that there is some rent protection and that we don’t have to pay for parking.”
She said she would hate to see one of the last low-income liveaboard communities vanish.
“Basically, I don’t want us tohave yet another big fancy marina for rich people’s boats in Sausalito,” she said. “We’re always living in fear that it’s going to go away. “
Cox also said she is working with the county to ask marina operators to become Section 8 landlords.
“That would enable folks to use vouchers to pay rent because some liveaboards are folks who have lowor little income,” she said. “So I’d like them to be able to treat their liveaboards as Section 8 housing.”