Measure X Gives Developers More Building Rights—and Sausalito the Bill

Sausalito’s shoreline faces sea-level rise, storm surge, groundwater flooding, subsidence, and aging infrastructure. Measure X applies its extreme upzoning to Waterfront parcels from near the Spinnaker through the Marinship and toward the north end of town—including some of Sausalito’s lowest, most flood-exposed land.

Large new fixed buildings would add more private property, utilities, roads, and access needs in places already at risk. As the water rises, the City could face increasing pressure to protect those investments.

Measure X contains:

• No project: no road, drainage, flood-control, or shoreline improvement it would actually build
• No cost estimate: no calculation of what the necessary work would cost
• No dedicated funding: no dedicated revenue or financing district
• No requirement that new development fund shoreline protection

New development may generate some additional tax revenue. But Measure X’s proponents have presented no analysis showing how much, when it would arrive, or whether it would come close to paying for roads, drainage, and shoreline protection. Measure X dedicates none of it to those needs.

City staff concluded that indirect revenue alone is unlikely—particularly in the early years—to support new and existing infrastructure. A possible future assessment or special tax would require a separate property-owner approval process. Measure X creates neither.

Current law requires developer contributions when more development is allowed. The Marinship Specific Plan also assigns responsibility for certain street and intersection improvements to the properties that benefit.

Measure X repeals those provisions. City staff reports that Sausalito has no replacement impact fees for roads, storm drainage, or shoreline protection.

The independent review found that many Marinship buildings are reached through confusing private roads that are sometimes not maintained and likely cannot support significant new development. More building rights do not repair that private infrastructure—or make deferred maintenance on private property a citywide taxpayer obligation.

New projects and the properties that benefit should pay for the roads, drainage, utilities, access, and other improvements they require. Yet Measure X grants the increased building rights first and repeals the principal tool tying private redevelopment to infrastructure contributions.

New waterfront buildings may change owners many times. But the buildings, roads, utilities, emergency-access needs, and pressure for shoreline protection remain in Sausalito.

Measure X increases the private value placed in harm’s way without establishing who will pay to protect it. That is how a private development opportunity can become a public expense.