Planning Commission · public hearing, July 22, 2026
Commission approves fix for crumbling shared staircase on Alexander Avenue — after tracking down an owner who never answered the phone
At 22 Alexander Avenue, applicant Kai Okada, on behalf of owner Timothy Isaac, sought a Nonconformity Permit to demolish and fully replace the aging wooden staircase, landings, rails and lighting that serve five residences — 14, 16, 18/24, 20 and 22 Alexander Avenue — on the east side of the street, plus encase four existing concrete piles in a new mud slab and rebuild the deck at No. 22.
“This is like the most Sausalito story. I love it. It's funky.”— Chair Saad, after the 5-0 vote to approve · ▶ Watch this exchange
Staff recommended approval, finding the project categorically exempt from CEQA review and consistent with the city's nonconformity findings, and the commission voted 5-0 to adopt the resolution, with conditions requiring later sign-off from BCDC and the flood zone administrator.
Getting there took some untangling. Commissioner Luxembourg pressed staff on why No. 24 wasn't listed in the application and why the owner of No. 16 hadn't signed off; planner Matthew Mandich explained that the county assessor still lists the parcels under old numbers and that the No. 16 owner — who rents out the property and isn't reliably in the country — could not be reached. Applicant Pete Peterson told the commission, "I come hat in hand... it's been quite a complicated process... we can't put back what's there now because of the building materials and relative stiffness we need for that stairway," while Commissioner Moore asked whether there was a construction-access and traffic-management plan for getting equipment onto the narrow site.
Chair Saad, casting one of the five yes votes, seemed charmed by the whole tangle of addresses and absent landlords that make up the shared staircase.
Planning Commission · study session, July 22, 2026
Sidewalks, oversized signs and a shelved parklet rulebook: commissioners push back at Public Works
Before Tuesday's staircase vote, commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting in a wide-ranging study session grilling Public Works Director Kevin McGowan, Principal Planner Matthew Mandich and Parking Manager Wayne Kwan on three years of loose ends — mismatched sidewalks, oversized street signs, and a parklet design rulebook that's been 80% finished since 2023 and never moved.
“We could have done better by adding more lamp black into it and putting a sand finish on it. That's what I probably would have done if I paid more attention to this and wasn't busy with other stuff.”— Public Works Director Kevin McGowan · ▶ Watch this exchange
The sidewalk discussion turned tense when Commissioner Moore pressed on why the sidewalk outside Smitty's was repaved without matching the distinctive Mexican-pebble finish required near Bridgeway — the fix, done during emergency tree work, left a visible patch. McGowan conceded the mismatch was avoidable but bristled at the questioning: "I'm not making this presentation to get into arguments with you... I don't think this is the right forum for it," prompting Chair Saad to step in: "Director McGowan, I think moving forward... let's just be mindful of how we're asking our questions. This is supposed to be informative."
On parking, Kwan confirmed that residents parking after 6 p.m. without a permit in the C zone (established in 2023 amid merchant-resident friction) are now subject to ticketing, a fact Commissioner Luxembourg said still catches people off guard. The same friction surfaced over the Bridgeway median project between Napa and Johnson streets, where residents have complained the new pedestrian-safety signage looks oversized; Luxembourg urged staff to swap the 36x36 signs for smaller 30x30 versions, but McGowan said the 2023 safety fix was rushed through without time to consider wayfinding or branding, and cost has kept any changes on the shelf.
The parklet standards effort fared no better. Mandich said the draft design guidelines developed with Commissioner Luxembourg and a former commissioner are "about 80% of the way there" and could be finished quickly if the commission directed staff to resume — but with the housing element consuming staff time and, in Mandich's words, "the juice" not clearly "worth the squeeze" given limited demand for new parklets, commissioners opted not to restart the subcommittee for now, focusing instead on bringing existing parklets like the one on Caledonia Street into compliance.