✿Sausalito Daily
Thursday, August 27, 2026 · Issue No. 9
Zoning Administrator · decided at the Aug. 25 hearing

Cloudview Road Lot Merger Approved Over Neighbors' CEQA Objections

At 102 Cloudview Road, trustees of the Koblentz Family Trust sought to merge two substandard parcels — 5,586 and 5,405 square feet — into a single 10,991-square-foot lot. No new construction was proposed; staff said the merger would actually resolve three existing nonconformities on the property (undersized lots, a rear-yard setback encroachment, and excessive building coverage) and found it categorically exempt from CEQA as a 'paper exercise' with no physical effect on the environment.

“I believe excessive bulk is a disqualifier and I'm not giving up this fight”— neighbor at 94 Cloudview Road, opposing the merger · ▶ Watch this exchange

Neighbors weren't buying it. Four residents spoke or wrote in opposition, arguing the merger was step one of a bigger, undisclosed building plan and shouldn't be reviewed in isolation. Land-use consultant Eric Lundquist, representing the opposition, called it a textbook CEQA piecemealing problem: 'the merger increases development potential... it creates a larger, fully conforming parcel capable of more building than either existing lot could support on its own.' Neighbor Karen O'Young asked the city to formally note view and privacy concerns for any future design review, while another Cloudview Road resident demanded a continuance, insisting 'excessive bulk is a disqualifier.'

Zoning Administrator Mandich wasn't persuaded that the merger itself triggered CEQA review, calling it 'an administrative adjustment of property lines that creates no direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change to the environment,' and approved the application as Resolution 2026-12. Any future construction, Mandich noted, will face its own CEQA review and a pending historical resource determination — meaning the fight over what actually gets built at 102 Cloudview Road isn't over.

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Zoning Administrator · decided at the Aug. 25 hearing

Fourth Street Deck Wins Approval Despite Neighbor's Privacy Complaint

Owners Dan and Sandra Pellegrini sought a variance to build an 86-square-foot elevated deck and stairway in the rear yard at 302 Fourth Street, requiring relief from both rear and side setbacks. The design had already been trimmed down from an original 112 square feet after the Planning Commission raised concerns.

“it would kind of look right into one of their bedroom windows... i'm opposed to it i don't feel that there's a hardship”— Jason Grass, neighbor at 416 Richardson Street

Staff recommended approval, and architect Mark Brand, representing the applicants, told the Zoning Administrator the design had been scaled back specifically to limit impact: 'we've reduced it to a three-foot deck which is on the north side of his property so there won't be any light and air impact either.'

Neighbor Jason Grass, who lives at 416 Richardson Street, disagreed. He argued his home is already built out to the property line and the new deck would push right up against it: 'it would kind of look right into one of their bedroom windows... i'm opposed to it i don't feel that there's a hardship.' Zoning Administrator Mandich sided with staff, saying he could make all the required findings, and approved the project.

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