Council Talks Price on 558 Bridgeway — Still No Deal, No Details

For the second time this week, the city's interest in 558 Bridgeway (APN 065-172-12 and APN 065-172-15) stayed locked behind closed doors. Council authorized the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate price and terms with the property's owner, Bridgeway 558 Real Property, LLC, under Government Code 54956.8 — meaning no proposed number is public.

The Tuesday special meeting was almost entirely closed session: the 558 Bridgeway negotiation sat alongside a City Manager personnel matter and the pending Russo v. City of Sausalito lawsuit (Marin County Superior Court CV008400), plus one anticipated litigation matter the city may itself file.

Council reconvened into open session to report out — and reported nothing. No action was taken on the property, the litigation, or the City Manager matter. The council's next regular meeting isn't until September 1, so any resolution on 558 Bridgeway will likely wait weeks.

Residents Corner Council Over Bridgeway Marina — and a Fix They Say Already Exists

With the actual agenda locked in closed session, Tuesday's public comment period became the night's real business, as harbor-side residents pressed the council to finally act against what they describe as ongoing damage at Bridgeway Marina.

“My position continues to be my concern over the city of Sausalito, this inability to enforce regulations against the individual that is destroying our harbor. I don't understand the process.”— Skip Clager, public comment · ▶ Watch this exchange

Longtime commenter Skip Clager said the city simply won't enforce its own rules against the operator he blames for harming the harbor. Ted Haneck went further, telling council there are "very serious violations of the public trust doctrine" at the marina and that the fix is sitting in plain sight: modify Conditional Use Permit number 467, which he said contains a lease clause obligating the tenant to accept such changes.

An unidentified council member picked up the thread, asking that a Mr. Hoyt — apparently pushing his own proposed CUP changes — be invited to put his specifics in writing. It's a small opening, but the first sign council may be willing to look at the permit rather than just hear the complaints again.

Brand-New Business Committee's First Real Fight: Parking on Caledonia

Sausalito's newly filled-out, 12-member Economic Development Advisory Committee held its first working session Monday, and within minutes the orientation slides gave way to the city's most durable argument: parking. Council has directed staff to convert part of Caledonia Street from parallel to angled parking, adding roughly 31 spaces to comply with state AB 413 daylighting rules, using planters and beautification rather than bare pavement — with at least one public meeting required before anything gets built.

“Do we want to start charging for parking as a revenue stream? We put that on secondary hold, but that's also a question we want feedback on.”— Councilmember Hoffman

Councilmember Hoffman told the committee the approach is meant to be consultative, not a done deal — "This is listening... not present an already baked program they have to accept" — but EDAC member Yoshi captured the anxiety on the ground: merchants fear losing 21 parking spaces near their storefronts, even as he argued the pilot could become a net positive for the corridor. The conversation didn't stop at Caledonia: Hoffman raised the bigger, unresolved question of whether the city should start charging for downtown parking as a revenue source, and Chamber liaison Meili Zhao described angry emails from merchants over enforcement, including one couple hit with a roughly $2,000 ticket. Chair Levi Eastwood eventually steered the group back to the agenda, calling the detour "completely normal" for a committee still finding its footing.

No votes were taken — EDAC is advisory only — but members agreed informally to help with merchant outreach on the Caledonia pilot through the new Caledonia Merchants Association, coordinating with Public Works, with a possible update to Council on September 1.