Sausalito's Vision for 2040

The introductory chapter provides an overview of the General Plan, describing the purpose of the plan and its role for the City of Sausalito. The Introduction includes Sausalito’s Vision for 2040, the Authority and Purpose, Organization of the Sausalito General Plan, Implementation of the Plan, Public Participation in Creating the Plan, Sausalito’s History, and Future Trends and Assumptions. SAUSALITO’S VISION FOR 2040 VISION STATEMENT Sausalito is a thriving, safe, and friendly community that sustainably cultivates its natural beauty, history, and its arts and waterfront culture. Due to sea level rise and the continuing effects of climate change, the city seeks to bridge the compelling features and attributes of the city’s past, particularly its unique shoreline neighborhoods, with the environmental inevitabilities of its future. Sausalito embraces environmental stewardship and is dedicated to climate leadership while it strives to conserve the cultural, historic, artistic, business and neighborhood diversity and character that make up the Sausalito community. OVERALL COMMUNITY GOALS The General Plan Update addresses the new and many continuing issues confronting the city since the General Plan was adopted in 1995. The General Plan Update also responds to the many changing conditions of the region, county, and city since the beginning of the 21st century. The following eleven broad goals serve as the basis for more specific policies and implementation strategies. 1. Maintain Sausalito’s small-scale residential neighborhoods, recognizing their geographical, architectural, and cultural diversity, while supporting a range of housing options. 2. Recognize and perpetuate the defining characteristics of Sausalito, including its aesthetic beauty, scenic features, natural and built environment, its history, and its diverse culture. 3. Recognizing their importance to Sausalito’s economic vitality, encourage businesses and activities that have high municipal revenue generation potential and low environmental impacts. 4. Preserve Sausalito’s waterfront as a natural resource while carefully balancing the needs and desires of water-dependent businesses, water- related activities, and amenities for the general public, including access to and from the bay. KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED, UNDERLINED DELETIONS FROM 1995 GENERAL PLAN ARE RED, STRUCK THROUGH INTRODUCTION GREEN DOUBLE-UNDERLINED ARE MOVED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: APRIL 6, 2020 | I-1 5. Recognizing their role and importance to the Bay Area and the City’s cultural, historic, and economic diversity, and quality of life, encourage industrial, arts, and water-dependent or water-related activities in the Marinship. Support these activities through the inclusion of compatible businesses and uses along with other uses that can adapt to changing economic conditions. 6. Ensure fiscal sustainability to provide an appropriate level of public services including upgrading, modernizing, and maintaining Sausalito’s infrastructure. 7. Safeguard the natural environment and ensure community health, safety and resilience, including addressing the inherent risks of climate change, sea level rise, and subsidence. 8. Provide a variety of circulation options through and within Sausalito. 9. Manage tourism to minimize impacts on the community while supporting a quality visitor experience. 10. Engage proactively with regional and State-level policy efforts to ensure that Sausalito’s vision, goals, and quality of life are sustained in the long term. 11. Seek innovative and sustainable solutions to sea level rise in collaboration with County and regional agencies and innovators, to sustain the quality of life in Sausalito and its active waterfront uses. “We need smart, efficient, progressive updates that will help our community maintain its charm…and preserve its natural beauty!” - Comment to Website (May 2, 2017) AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE All cities and counties in California are required by State law to prepare and adopt a General Plan which thatmust meets detailed legal requirements. The Sausalito General Plan is intended to do much more than intends to do more than meet requirementsmerely meet the legal requirements. It is intended to be a statement of how the citizens of Sausalito view their community, and , most importantly, how they want it to be in theenvision the future of their community. The California Government Code specifically defines the purpose and content of General Plans. Primarily, State law requires that the General Plan be an integrated, internally consistent document containing analysis and data supporting its proposed objectives, policies, standards and actionsand programs. Subject areas that must be KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED, UNDERLINED DELETIONS FROM 1995 GENERAL PLAN ARE RED, STRUCK THROUGH INTRODUCTION GREEN DOUBLE-UNDERLINED ARE MOVED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: APRIL 6, 2020 | I-2 covered in the plan General Plan areinclude: land use, circulation, housing, safety, open space, conservation and noise. 1. Land Use 2. Circulation 3. Housing 4. Conservation 5. Open Space 6. Noise 7. Safety 8. Air Quality Jurisdictions with disadvantaged communities as defined by the California Environmental Protection Agency must also include an Environmental Justice Element, but no such community exists in Sausalito. In addition to the mandatory elements, the Government Code permits local agencies to adopt optional elements to reflect and accommodate local conditions and circumstances. For example, Tthe Community Design and Historical Preservation Element, Economic Element, Waterfront Element, and Sustainability Element of the Sausalito General Plan is are considered an "optional" elements under State law but is are a key element of Sausalito's General Plan. FIGURE I-1: REGIONAL LOCATION KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED, UNDERLINED DELETIONS FROM 1995 GENERAL PLAN ARE RED, STRUCK THROUGH INTRODUCTION GREEN DOUBLE-UNDERLINED ARE MOVED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: APRIL 6, 2020 | I-3 The broad purpose of the General Plan is to express policies which that will guide decisions on future development and resource conservation in a manner consistent with the quality of life desired by Sausalito residentsvision of the community. and in a way that is sustainable. The goals in the General Plan are achieved in three ways: 1. Policies and Standards provide the basis for zoning, land subdivision, design, historic preservation and other regulations; 2. Findings of Consistency with policies must be made when approving projects to assure that day-to-day decisions on development applications and capital improvements are consistent with the General Plan; and 3. Implementing Programs are identified when specific follow-up actions are needed. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER DOCUMENTS A General Plan describes broad objectives and policies that will be implemented by other area plans, codes, ordinances, and policy documents. Under California state law, the General Plan is the policy foundation for all other planning documents. Many objectives and policies will be directly implemented by the General Plan. Others work in concert with existing regulations, plans, and regional and State directives. KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED, UNDERLINED DELETIONS FROM 1995 GENERAL PLAN ARE RED, STRUCK THROUGH INTRODUCTION GREEN DOUBLE-UNDERLINED ARE MOVED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: APRIL 6, 2020 | I-4 FIGURE I-2: VISION TO IMPLEMENTATION The General Plan must be integrated with local regulations and planning documents as well as their state and regional counterparts. The General Plan has been developed within the framework provided by several regulations and documents, including the following: • City Voter Initiatives KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED, UNDERLINED DELETIONS FROM 1995 GENERAL PLAN ARE RED, STRUCK THROUGH INTRODUCTION GREEN DOUBLE-UNDERLINED ARE MOVED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: APRIL 6, 2020 | I-5 o Ordinance 1022, the Fair Traffic Limits Initiative o Ordinance 1128 • City Planning Documents o Age-Friendly Sausalito Community Action Plan o Climate Action Plan o Low Emissions Action Plan o Sausalito Strategic Plan • Municipal Code o Zoning Ordinance • General Plan-Related Documents o General Plan Environmental Impact Report • State Regulations o Assembly Bill 32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act) o McAteer-Petris Act o SB-330 (Housing Crisis Act of 2019) • Regional Planning Documents o BAAQMD Clean Air Plan o Richardson Bay Special Area Plan • County Planning Documents o Marin Climate Action Plan o Marin County General Plan o Marin County Multi-Jurisdiction Local Hazard Mitigation Plan o Plan Bay Area 2040 A more detailed list of regulations and documents is available in Appendix A. ORGANIZATION OF THE SAUSALITO GENERAL PLAN The General Plan contains seven ten chapters. In addition to this introductory chapter, there are nine subsequent following six chaptersElements., These generally follow the same structure with each containing two four parts: - (1) Objectives, Policies and Programs; and (2) Background - are included. 1. Overview of Objectives and Policies. This is a list of the Objectives and Policies contained within the Element. 2. Introduction. This is a one-page synopsis of the Element’s purpose and relationship to the General Plan. 3. Background and Context. This provides relevant information on existing conditions and a frame of reference for objectives, policies, and programs to better illustrate their connections to each other and the General Plan as a whole. KEY: ADDITIONS ARE RED,

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