Belvedere cuts deal to leave Artist’s View mostly untouched until 2043
- Tyler Callister
- 2h
- 1 min read
In exchange for not opposing a small viewing deck, two Belvedere homeowners have secured the city’s promise to leave the rest of Artist’s View untouched until 2043 — a date tied to the property’s murky legal history.
The City Council voted unanimously Dec. 8 to approve the agreement with Michael Davis and Jyll Johnstone, who own the property at 475 Belvedere Ave. adjacent to the city-owned open space at the southern end of Belvedere Island. No discussion was held.
The deal resolves a standoff over the July 15 Planning Commission approval of a much-debated viewing deck. After six years of proposals that included trails to the property’s rocky beach, officials settled on a 10.5-foot-deep and 16-foot-wide platform oriented toward Angel Island, expected to go out for bid later this spring.
Under the agreement, Davis and Johnstone will not oppose the deck’s construction through legal claims or litigation. In exchange, Belvedere commits to build nothing else on the site — no structures, paths, trails, huts or hardscape — until at least Feb. 20, 2043, roughly 17 years. Routine vegetation maintenance and safety work remain allowed.
The city has until Sept. 1, 2028, to build the platform. The agreement becomes void if the city misses the deadline, freeing Davis and Johnstone to challenge future development.
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