Condo Conversions in Sausalito, CA

Sausalito regulates conversions closely, and the ordinance is worth reading before the pro forma is finished. Under SMC Chapter 10.66, converting an existing or approved development to a condominium, community apartment project, or stock cooperative requires a condominium conversion permit approved by the Planning Commission, on top of compliance with SMC Title 9 (Subdivisions) and the Subdivision Map Act. The required submittals include a map showing all common areas and the usage of the building, showing the boundaries of all units; a physical elements report by a registered engineer, architect, or licensed qualified contractor covering the structural condition of every element; a pest report; a report on soil and geological conditions covering soil deposits, rock formations, faults, groundwater, and landslides in the vicinity; and full architectural plans including floor plans, elevations, and a site plan. The findings are demanding as well, among them a limit of five percent of the potentially convertible rental units citywide in a calendar year, and no new construction over 300 square feet in the prior three years.

The unit boundary map is where we come in, and in a building of this age it is not a drafting exercise. Partitions have moved, floors are out of level, and any original drawings describe intent rather than construction. We scan the interior and exterior, register to site control, and derive unit boundaries from the measured finished surfaces, producing the common-area and unit-boundary exhibits, stacking diagrams, and dimensioned floor plans the submittal and the CC and R drafting both need — including exclusive-use areas, decks, storage, and parking as they actually exist.

Deliverables include the boundary resolution, unit and common-area mapping, condominium plan, and CAD exhibits, mapped through Marin County. See Sausalito as-built surveys and parcel maps versus tract maps.