Sausalito held a ribbon-cutting at Dunphy Park on September 17, 2026, to mark the end of Phase 2, the second half of a plan Friends of Dunphy Park drew up in 2015. The City Council had put the item to accept the work as complete on its September 1 agenda. Most coverage stopped at the ceremony. The second phase added no courts, no restrooms, no new parking lot and no playground. It went into the ground, the shoreline and the plants. The park that came out of it has two halves that do different jobs.
The north half is where things happen: the courts, the lot, the Sunday market. The south half is a planted path along a small inlet that ends at a parking lot on Humboldt Avenue. Once you see the park that way, it gets easier to decide when to go and which end to start from.
Where the Money Went
The Marin Independent Journal reported in October 2025 that the council unanimously awarded Hanford Applied Restoration and Conservation a $1.4 million contract, with other costs bringing the estimated total to $1.7 million. The paper said the work would double the park's usable space.
A large share of that work was remediation. According to the IJ, crews found and removed soil with high lead levels during Phase 1, and county officials were concerned that more contaminated soil and debris sat along the shoreline. Public Works project manager Sara Khorshidifard described soil removal and shoreline cleanup as the first job of Phase 2. The city's construction plans call for swapping designated shoreline soil for clean soil, pulling invasive plants out by hand, protecting the native plants already there, and having an archaeologist and a Native American monitor on site whenever soil was disturbed.
That history explains why the park looks the way it does. The parcel between Napa and Locust streets was landfill until the 1970s. In the IJ's account, Khorshidifard summed up Phase 2 this way:
"Phase two will complete its extraordinary journey from open water to landfill and now to a vibrant community space."
On top of the cleanup, the city's project description lists shoreline stabilization, grading, accessible paths, native and adaptive landscaping, irrigation, benches and picnic tables. Every item on that list makes the park better to sit or walk in. None of them makes it a place for more organized activity.
Two Halves, Side by Side
| North half | South half | |
|---|---|---|
| Finished | Phase 1, completed in 2021 | Phase 2, ribbon-cutting September 17, 2026 |
| What's there | Parking lot, nearby restrooms, a sand volleyball court, several bocce courts, the lawn and gazebo area | Restored and extended shoreline path, new planting, benches, picnic tables |
| Where it ends | The Dunphy lot at 1600 Bridgeway | A parking lot on Humboldt Avenue |
| Bookable | Bocce, volleyball, lawn and gazebo | Nothing listed |
In the IJ's description, the extended path follows the edge of a small inlet south until it reaches the Humboldt Avenue lot. That gives the park two ends that work as entrances, and the second one matters most on the morning when the first one closes to cars.
The North End Runs on a Calendar
On Sundays, the Sausalito Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Dunphy Park lot at 1600 Bridgeway, and the lot is closed to vehicles from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The city's market page says parking nearby is limited and asks shoppers to walk, bike or carpool. With the path now running south, a Sunday walk can start at the Humboldt Avenue end and take in the whole shoreline before reaching the market stalls.
Most of the north end's rules are about scheduling:
- Bocce and volleyball. Book and pay online up to 90 days ahead, with no city approval needed. The city's field-status page, updated October 5, 2026, listed both the bocce courts and the sand volleyball pit as open.
- Lawn and gazebo. Rentable. Parties of 25 or more need city approval, and other facilities can be reserved up to six months ahead.
- Dogs. Leashed throughout city parks, under Ordinance 6.04.160, per the city's parks and facilities page.
- On the water. The city lists Dunphy Park as a kayak launch, with shoreline access among its amenities.
Right next to the courts, the IJ notes, is the Sausalito Cruising Club lounge, behind the bocce courts. The club is at 1610 Bridgeway and posts bar and galley hours.
Where the Walk Picks Up Again
Because the south half has no concessions, the places around the park fill that gap. These are all a short walk from either end, and each one lists current hours on its own site:
- Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway. Free admission. Open Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday and federal holidays, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On a Sunday market morning, it is closed.
- Le Garage, 85 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 109. Hours and a current menu are posted on its site.
- Driver's Market & Deli, 200 Caledonia Street. Open daily 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with online deli ordering. It is the simplest way to put together a picnic for the new tables.
- Sushi Ran, 107 Caledonia Street. Lunch and dinner, with online ordering.
- Sartaj India Cafe, 39 Caledonia Street. Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with online ordering.
- Sausalito Books by the Bay, 100 Bay Street. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an events calendar on its site.
If you want a longer Sunday, there is an easy pairing. The market closes at 2 p.m., and the opening reception for the Sausalito Center for the Arts' SCA Open 2026 runs 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, at 750 Bridgeway. The exhibition is up from October 30 through December 6.
This Weekend, the North Waterfront Gets Busy
For the next few days, the north waterfront's calendar sits on top of the new park. The Cruising Club's calendar lists a Halloween Happy Hour on Friday, October 30, from 6 to 9 p.m.
On Saturday, October 31, the city's Halloween Sausalito parade leaves the Station 1 Firehouse at 6 p.m. and heads to Robin Sweeny Park at Caledonia and Litho streets. The evening includes trick-or-treating at Robin Sweeny and a dog costume contest. Caledonia Street closes from 4:30 to 9 p.m. between Bridgeway/Johnson and Bee, and another segment stays closed until 9 p.m., so the inland side of the walk is closed to cars that evening. The next morning brings the regular Sunday market back to the Dunphy lot.
Later in the season, the action moves downtown. Sausalito Art & Harbor Days, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tracy Way, Ferry Landing Plaza and Gabrielson Park, is scheduled for November 28 and December 26.
Architect Jacques Ullman, who led the 2015 plan with Paul Leffingwell, told the Marin Independent Journal when the contract was awarded, "We're finally going to get this thing done that's been going on for years and years." Since September 17, the shoreline between Napa Street and Humboldt Avenue is open as one walk.
On Sausalito's north waterfront, a short walk to a finished shoreline is part of what a home there offers. If you own near Caledonia or Bridgeway and want to know how that shows up in your home's value, Stephanie Pratt is glad to arrange a private consultation or a confidential home valuation.
