By Christian Leonard, Data Reporter June 2, 2024
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sausalito-aging-housing-19484417.php
Sausalito is one of the handful of California communities of at least 5,000 people where less than 1 in 10 residents is a child. The city’s hills make transportation services necessary for older people and make it hard for parents to push around a baby stroller. Brant Ward/The Chronicle
Sausalito isn’t getting any younger.
Roughly 9% of the city’s residents were under age 18 in 2020, according to decennial census data. That makes Sausalito one of the handful of communities in California with at least 5,000 people where less than 1 in 10 residents is a child.
Compare that with Marin City, Sausalito’s unincorporated neighbor, where roughly 21% of residents were younger than 18 in 2020. The two communities share a school district, which recently voted to largely consolidate its two campuses into a new complex in Sausalito.
Partially because of the low child population, Sausalito’s residents tend to be older than in the rest of the country. Sausalito’s median age from 2018 to 2022 was about 54, higher than the national figure of 39, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
In 1980, the city’s median age was just 35, while the U.S. median age was 30.
Sausalito’s aging population presents a challenge for city officials and nonprofit leaders trying to address the needs of older residents and newer arrivals in a community that often ardently opposes new housing.
Sausalito had about 4,400 homes in 2024, according to data from the California Department of Finance, a marginally higher figure than the 4,380 in 1990 and lower than the 4,520 in 2010. Like in the rest of Marin County, the lack of new housing — coupled with an older population — has contributed to a slight population decline from about 7,200 people in 1990 to 6,900 in 2024.
Not all nearby cities are seeing the same trend. In Corte Madera, a 6-mile drive from Sausalito, the housing stock has grown, with about 500 more homes since 1990 and a population that rose from 8,300 to 9,900 over the same period.
Sausalito heavily restricts development in much of its commercial and industrial areas due to a 1985 voter-approved law. Some residents strongly oppose even considering parts of the city for housing development, a process required by the state, often arguing that more homes would worsen traffic, block views and overwhelm infrastructure.
That opposition has also affected some affordable housing proposals for older residents. The city’s Rotary Club built a senior housing project in 2004, but had to overcome objections from neighbors worried it would impact their property values.
More recently, a local developer expressed interest in turning two mostly vacant office buildings on Sausalito’s waterfront into affordable housing for older people. But residents have generally opposed new development at the waterfront, saying construction could compromise its arts and manufacturing presence, and expressing concern about environmental hazards.
Still, many residents acknowledge the need for more housing. When city officials held a virtual town hall in 2022, many agreed that Sausalito’s housing options didn’t meet the needs of the community. Residents said they were especially worried about the cost of housing and the lack of assisted living facilities.
But there was strong disagreement regarding where housing should be built, with many responses supporting or opposing housing on the waterfront and Martin Luther King Jr. Park. One respondent suggested Tiburon.
Ian Sobieski, Sausalito’s mayor and chairman of an angel investor group, said he believes the city can balance having more housing and preserving its character. But he also acknowledged that some developers have proposed housing projects that “are agitating and angering the community because they feel out of place.”
“Building units doesn’t have to be that way, if we would actually engage in a serious process of urban planning and design,” Sobieski added.
In the general absence of housing for older residents, nonprofits including Sausalito Village have stepped up to provide key services. The group provides transportation and runs errands for members, who pay an annual fee, and organizes regular social events. Age Friendly Sausalito hosts nature walks and advocates for more resources for older people.
“It is a great place to age because of the services, and not just ours, but the connections to some of the county services,” said Tricia Smith, president of Sausalito Village.
The city doesn’t have many younger families, Smith added. Parents probably look elsewhere for quality schools, she said, and the Sausalito hills that make transportation services necessary for older people also make it hard to push around a baby stroller.
Sybil Boutilier, the chair of Age Friendly Sausalito, said the city needs affordable housing to allow older adults to downsize — which would also free up space for newcomers.
“A lot of people feel we need more families in Sausalito,” she added. “That’s one good way of attracting” them.
The high cost of housing has often made that difficult. Real estate brokerage site Zillow values the typical Sausalito home at $1.5 million and estimates the typical rent at $3,900 a month. Nearly half of Sausalito residents are renters, according to Census Bureau data.
And for renters like Scott Thornburg, who moved to Sausalito from San Francisco with his now-husband six years ago, becoming a homeowner feels like a “waiting game” for a for-sale sign — and to have enough money to buy.
The 36-year-old Thornburg, who sits on the city’s economic development committee and co-founded Sausalito Pride, added that it’s still somewhat rare to encounter someone his age there. Part of the issue is that many of Sausalito’s longtime residents tend to resist new programs and housing, he added. But he believes new housing would help both incoming residents and longtime homeowners concerned about their own rising costs of living.
“We are going through a bit of an identity crisis in the community,” Thornburg said. “We have a lot of people coming in, and we want to hold on to the good parts, but we also want to be open to new people coming in.”
Reach Christian Leonard: christian.leonard@sfchronicle.com
June 2, 2024