Sausalito rejects a long-term lease from a nonprofit boating company

The City Council has rejected a request from the Sausalito Community Boating Center to extend its lease for up to 20 years.

City staff advised against the long commitment and instead recommended a five-year lease. Council members directed staff to extend the lease for a year, with an evaluation after six months to review the center’s progress in getting its program up and running.

The agreement includes exclusive use of the area and requires the center to pay at least $15,000 in revenue to the city. Council members said a longer-term agreement could be revised later.

The center, a nonprofit organization at 1620 Bridgeway, was founded in 2010. The organization’s mission, as stated on its website, is to provide affordable access to boating, preserve the region’s “maritime heritage through education and skills building,” and protect the marine ecosystem. The center’s goal is to offer classes and possibly launch a water taxi.

The center has been on a month-to-month contract since its lease ended in September, according to City Manager Chris Zapata. The city has not received any revenue from operations since 2009.

Zapata said the center has raised nearly $600,000. The funds were used to bring the center into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, a safety-related phase required before programming can begin. However, the center struggled with pandemic-related declines in donations, leadership changes and storm damage.

Deputy Mayor Joan Cox said she was concerned about the pace of progress over the last decade, noting that a 2014 lease amendment assumed the center would be operational sooner.

“If you look at the lease, it’s about revenue to the city from the programs that the boating center provides,” Cox said at the Nov. 19 council meeting.

Raylene Gorum, the center’s board secretary, said many of its boats are traditional wooden vessels designed or built in Sausalito. Gorum said they require a lot of time and maintenance and are not suitable for all sailors. The center hopes to expand the fleet with smaller learning vessels.

“I firmly believe that when you get involved with water, you mobilize other environmentalists,” Gorum said.

Cox said the city needs a proper business plan. She is hesitant about the water taxi idea because it is not related to the core mission of providing affordable water access, but she pointed out that it would be a source of revenue.

Council member Janelle Kellman said the city should help find partnership opportunities and mentioned that the Tamalpais High School sailing team was looking for a home base.

“What’s happening now hasn’t worked yet,” Kellman said. “More concrete partnerships need to be implemented as this is one of the few water access launch pads we have in the city and it needs to work.”

Boating Center board member Mike Dumont said the center’s uncertainties make it difficult to secure partnerships. A longer-term lease would provide some security, particularly with water taxi partners and youth sailing programs.

The center received approval to open Nov. 14, according to Dumont. City staff will return a new lease to council members in early 2025.