Election measure on building zoning divides Sausalito

Melissa Pergerson stared at the dilapidated wood paddle wheel rescued from an ancient steam boat, stashed in a forgotten yard in Sausalito’s industrial Marinship neighborhood, and thought back to her childhood. “As a little kid we would play on here and climb up on it,” said Pergerson, who along with her sister Allisandre Haas grew up in Sausalito’s houseboat community. The industrial neighborhood Pergerson now combed through was filled with rotting buildings, many that witnessed the building of Liberty Ships during World War II. Now they served as under-the-radar wood shops, leather works, and artist studios. “This is character,” Pergerson said. This is history.” Two perspectives of the industrial Marinship are at the center of a contentious battle in Sausalito on the November ballot. Measure X would change zoning laws in the town, allowing building owners to build taller, larger buildings with the possibility of expanded uses such as breweries, cafes and bakeries that ca