Dorothy Gibson’s bequest, leaving her home on Sausalito’s Johnson Street for affordable housing, is close to becoming a reality.

The 1,200-square-foot two-story house, which has been turned into two small apartments, is close to being ready to fulfill Gibson’s request, including that at least one of the units be rented to a full-time city worker.

She passed away in 2019 at the age of 95. She left a legacy of public service, both as a social worker and a civic activist.

She served on various city boards, was active with local nonprofits and wrote books, including a mapping of the town’s web of paths and walkways and one on the history of the Marin Headlands.

She gave a lot of her time, talent and heartfelt energy to the betterment of her town and Marin.

That’s reflected in the generous gift of her house, a rare opportunity for the city to provide affordable housing.

Even two apartments make a difference in meeting a need where local workers’ paychecks fall far short of local housing prices.

The town has spent $1 million, with the help of state and county grants, to turn the house into two apartments and bring it up to code, including disabled access requirements.

City officials expect the work will be completed and the apartments ready for tenants next month.

While one of the units will be rented to a city worker, the city is working with Homeward Bound, Marin’s largest homeless nonprofit, to rent the other apartment to a homeless person who would also be part of the agency’s entry-level job-training program.

The state funding needed for the renovation required one of the tenants to have been homeless.

This opportunity is the result of the generosity of one woman who called Sausalito home for 65 years and had already given a lot to the town in her service and writing.

Her contributions were celebrated in 2013 when she was honored as the grand marshal of the city’s Fourth of July parade.

Gibson wanted to make a difference for the community and in people’s lives. She may have been small in stature, but she was formidable in the energy she devoted to local issues.

Obviously, she saw affordable housing as a pressing need in her town.

It has taken five years to make it happen, but soon her final wish will be fulfilled and provide much-needed affordable housing for years to come.

This is a rare opportunity, but one that could not have been possible if one longstanding civic-minded resident hadn’t seen an important and pressing need and saw her ability to do something about it.

It is an admirable and generous legacy that Dorothy Gibson left her community.