Proposed Dream Home Atop Marin Headlands Sparks Legal Battle

MARIN COUNTY (KPIX 5) – Just as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge are the Marin Headlands that tower above it. The views from here are spectacular and, no doubt, that was on the minds of the people who bought a certain piece of property.

"This is the top of the Marin Headlands, this is called Wolfback Ridge," said Doug Ferguson, a Sausalito attorney who joined a famous legal battle back in the 60's to save the Headlands from becoming a city of 30,000 people to be called "Marincello."

The rag-tag band of conservationist lawyers won and the land became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, all except for a few lots at the top of Wolfback Ridge.

"And they did not get acquired because the park offered fair market value and the owner said, 'Take a hike,'" Ferguson recalled.

But now, those who do take hikes here are upset that new owners are planning to build on this site. There are already homes up there but this one would be more prominent than the rest.

"You'd be able to see it from Sausalito, from the Pacific Ocean, from the Golden Gate Bridge. You wouldn't be able to miss it," Ferguson told KPIX 5.

The park superintendent has reportedly called the house plans a "visual intrusion on the park," especially to visitors waiting for the light at the Headlands Tunnel.

But Ferguson said the owners may not be able to build whatever they want because of a 1990 settlement agreement between the previous owner and the City of Sausalito.

"The rules say you must build sympathetically and with respect to the terrain and the conditions of the terrain and the views of other people," Ferguson said. "It's very subjective."

Ferguson said Sausalito could be sued if it tried to stop construction altogether, but also said the city can require that the design be less visible.