Sausalito announces major housing project for city's waterfront
Sausalito officials recently announced plans for new housing to be built along the city's waterfront, and local businesses couldn't be happier.
Robert Freeman, owner of a Sausalito restaurant for the past two decades, has observed a concerning trend in recent years.
"San Francisco is suffering ... tourism is down, conventions are canceled, so it hurts because people in the city would go to Napa and would stop here, but when they're not in town, that cuts into it," Freeman said.
The prospect of a proposed condo complex right across the street from his restaurant has caught his attention, as it could potentially bring more customers.
"I think it will be good because there's a number of restaurants in town, so with more people living here, it would definitely help us," Freeman said.
Named Waterstreet, the project is planned to be situated behind existing businesses and, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, would include 41 market-rate condos alongside six "very low-income" affordable units.
Sausalito City Manager Chris Zapata confirmed that Linda Fotsch, the property owner, has applied to redevelop the site while preserving the facades of the four existing retail spaces as part of the city's downtown historic district.
In a statement, Zapata said, "The City of Sausalito received a formal planning application for this project on January 31st. We will review the application in compliance with State Housing regulations and our Municipal Code."
Local business owner Rick Enos also sees the potential benefits of new residents in close proximity.
"Any new residents in close proximity are gonna be good for business...we'd enjoy having all of these people there, because they can just walk," Enos said.
"We need to find a way to create more tourism overall, but definitely making Sausalito more accessible from the water ... maybe some more unique shopping ... when I was younger, there were some unique shopping experiences here."
Both Freeman and Enos are committed to staying informed about the proposal's progress, especially as Sausalito works towards rezoning portions of the city to meet the requirements of its state-certified "housing element," aiming for 724 new units by 2031.