By J.K. Dineen
Aug. 10, 2023Updated: Aug. 13, 2023
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/marin-housing-development-block-18283342.php
More than two years after a developer submitted a “fast track” application to build 40 units in the exclusive Marin community of Belvedere, the town has still not scheduled a public hearing to review the project, which has provoked the formation of a well-funded nonprofit dedicated to killing the rental housing.
The application for the development at Mallard Pointe, a 2.8-acre parcel that is now home to 22 rental units, was filed in June 2021 and deemed complete by the city in June 2022, according to Eric Hohmann, a partner with the development team. The developer, an affiliate of Thompson Dorfman Partners LLC, filed the project under Senate Bill 330, which requires the timely processing of housing applications that are consistent with local zoning rules. The project would include a 23-unit apartment building, 16 single-family homes and duplexes and one accessory dwelling unit.
While Belvedere doesn’t have an affordable housing requirement, the developer said 12 of the units will be below market rate.
“We understand that it’s a small town and they have their hands full,” Hohmann said. “But we sit here today without a public hearing scheduled. The bureaucracy seems to be moving quite slowly.”
The lack of progress comes as a new nonprofit created to fight Millard Pointe development has come out swinging, posting bright red yard signs around the affluent community suggesting that adding units at Mallard Pointe will be bad for children’s safety and make traffic worse.
The organization, Belvedere Residents for Intelligent Growth, is also raising money to fight the project. In a recent letter to residents, the group said it has “an immediate need for $30,000 to cover the costs of outside technical and legal expertise to carry us through these important upcoming discussions and hearings.”