Belvedere City Council recently pushed forward the residential proposal along Mallard Pointe, Marin County. The 40-unit project is the city’s largest housing development to get greenlit in decades despite stiff resistance from local NIMBYs. If the project had been rejected, the developer was prepared to pursue a much larger infill using the Builder’s Remedy.
Thomas Dorfman’s proposal now calls for 40 homes and parking for 102 cars. The residence types will include 23 apartment flats, ten lagoon-front duette homes, and six lagoon-front single-family homes. One ADU will be connected to one of the single-family homes. The project team is aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features will include drought-tolerant landscaping, solar panels, EV charging stations, and energy-efficient fixtures.
Mallard Pointe housing, rendering by Sutton Suzuki Architects and Francis Gough Architect
Mallard Pointe landscaping plan, map by Guzzardo Partnership
Sutton Suzuki Architects and Francis Gough Architects are responsible for designing the approved project, and Guzzardo Partnership is working on the landscape architecture. Illustrations show the apartment complex wrapped with a shingle wood facade. The smaller homes will feature a more modern style with flat walls and large windows.
The recent approval by the city council came a week after the developer floated a secondary Builder’s Remedy variant. Project plans shared by the developer show a 70-unit infill. The city has yet to receive approval for a compliant Housing Element from the State, meaning the city will be required to approve any project with at least 20% low-income units, regardless of local zoning. The developer uses State Density Bonus to achieve a 50% increase. The developer notes they could have pursued a greater density bonus by adding more affordable housing and invoking Assembly Bill 1287.
Mallard Pointe builder’s remedy variant, rendering by KTGY
Mallard Pointe builder’s remedy variant seen from across Belvedere Lagoon, rendering by KTGY
The developer team shared a letter addressed to the Community Members around Mallard Pointe explaining the reason for the backup plan, writing that “the 40-unit plan remains our preference given the time and effort we have put into this proposal. But we are prepared if the smaller project needs to be abandoned.” The Builder’s Remedy project is described as being a last resort.
The alternative project would create 55 apartments across four stories, six single-family homes, two duplexes, and one fourplex. Across the project, 14 units would be designated as affordable to low-income households. Architecture is by KTGY and Sutton Suzuki Architects.
Mallard Pointe, rendering by Sutton Suzuki Architects and Francis Gough Architect
Demolition will be required for 22 existing units in a 1951-built complex along Belvedere Lagoon. Future residents will be close to several shops, a grocery store, a post office, and the public library along Tiburon Boulevard. The developer expects to receive design approval in may, and start construction as early as next year.
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If you are familiar with the late 19th century water front buildings (formerly summer “cottages”) along Beach road, you will see the apartment building for this development mimics the architecture, building materials, and dark trim. This is a thoughtful design that blends in with the existing community, however in a larger scale.
I am waiting for NIMBYs to swoop in with their schtick :
“Since making housing supply plentiful for the region would take 500,000 new units, we should obstruct this project, as it is only 40 units and doesn’t fix the full problem in one fell swoop.”
Well, that’s an example of flawed logic.
I wanted to build a house in Tiburon (right next to Belvedere) and the neighbors were ready to sue me!
Wow. And what laws protect you, the individual property owner (sarcastic tone)? Did you eventually build or sell the property? Guess you have to add legal fees to the cost of building in Marin.