State Legislation: The State of California continues to enact new laws that require streamlined housing approval by establishing a by-right, ministerial approval process for multifamily residential development. Key to ministerial approval is the replacement of subjective design guidelines and discretionary design review processes with objective standards.

What are Objective Standards? State law defines objective standards as those that “involve no personal or subjective judgement by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant and public official prior to submittal.” 

Design standards are “objective” if they are measurable, verifiable, and knowable to all parties prior to project submittal. A planning review process based on the Objective Design and Development Standards involves no personal or subjective judgement by a public official.

ViewSync Compliance Web Application (Beta Version)

A beta version of the ViewSync Compliance Web Application is now available for beta testing. The ViewSync Compliance Web Application is a digital tool which can serve to evaluate compliance with the draft view standards prescribed in Chapter 3 of the City’s draft ODDS. Please refer to the links below to access the ViewSync Compliance Web Application, user instructions, and testing models:

• ViewSync Compliance Web Application (Beta version) 
• ViewSync Compliance Web Application User Instructions
• ViewSync Compliance Web Application - Testing Models:
  • AcademyHousing.kmz
  • AltosNapa.kmz
  • BonitaCrossing.kmz
  • LittleBonitaCrossing.kmz

In accordance with Program 19 of the City's Adopted 6th Cycle Housing Element, prior to the adoption of any objective standards for view preservation, the City will publish these standards online and make available any associated software tools to the public for at least one month for beta testing and to solicit public comment. The most recent up to date draft of the ODDS is provided below: 

• Draft Objective Design and Development Standards (January 28, 2025)

Please submit any public comment regarding the ViewSync Compliance Web Application and/or the draft Objective Design and Development Standards to: ablair@sausalito.gov. 

Tailoring ODDS for Sausalito: Over the past three years the City has worked on preparation of Objective Design and Development Standards (ODDS) which would augment the current Zoning Code regulations for new multi-family or mixed-use projects that include two or more new housing units. The ODDS implement provisions of the adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element which call for revised zoning regulations to accommodate higher density development on select sites.

The intent of ODDS is to provide applicants and developers with a clear understanding of the City’s expectations for mixed-use and multi-family residential project design. ODDS are written as requirements, rather than guidelines; therefore, all mixed-use and multi-family residential projects applying under Housing Accountability Act (HAA) protections shall comply with each standard. Importantly, ODDS regulate site and structure design only. Projects must also comply with all applicable building permit requirements, zoning code requirements, and development standards such as height, setbacks, floor area ratio, etc. 

The purpose of the ODDS is to provide an alternative ministerial path towards a more efficient, predictable, and equitable path to obtaining and granting of planning approvals for compliant projects, especially for affordable housing projects. The most recent up to date draft of the ODDS is provided below:

Draft Objective Design and Development Standards (January 28, 2025)

Past Meetings and Actions

March 4, 2025: City Council Study Session (Agenda / Video) 

February 4, 2025: City Council Study Session (Agenda / Video) 

January 15, 2025: Planning Commission Study Session (Agenda / Video)

October 23, 2024: Planning Commission Study Session (Agenda / Video)

October 1, 2024: City Council Study Session (Agenda / Video)

March 19, 2024: City Council Study Session (Agenda / Video)

February 14, 2024: Planning Commission Study Session (Agenda / Video)

March 29, 2023: Planning Commission Study Session (Agenda / Video)

January 24, 2023: City Council Study Session (Agenda / Video)

May 19, 2022: Historic Preservation Commission Meeting (Agenda / Video)

February 8, 2022: City Council Meeting (Agenda / Video)

December 15, 2021: Special Joint meeting of Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission (Agenda / Video)

Contact the City of Sausalito Planning Department at cdd@sausalito.gov if you have any questions regarding the ODDS.