Belvedere draws fire over story poles, environmental rec for Mallard Pointe

Partial story poles help show the height, along wit the general scope and shape, of a proposed 23-unit apartment complex along Mallard and Community roads in Belvedere on Oct. 24. (Kevin Hessel / The Ark)

Belvedere city staff say controversial plans to demolish the duplexes at Mallard Pointe and replace them with houses, new duplexes and an apartment building should be exempt from environmental review.

The staff recommendation, which came as story poles at least partially showing the scope of the project were placed on the site between City Hall and Belvedere Lagoon, was tucked into a public notice published in the Oct. 25 Ark.

The full staff analysis on environmental review and its recommendations on other aspects of the project were expected to be posted on the city website today, Nov. 1. Those recommendations will be put to the Planning Commission at the project’s first hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at City Hall.

Developer Mallard Pointe 1951 LLC, an affiliate of Mill Valley-based Thompson Dorfman Partners LLC, wants to demolish all 11 existing duplexes, totaling 22 two-bedroom market-rate units, and replace them with six single-family homes with one accessory dwelling unit, five duplexes and a 23-unit apartment building, for a total of 40 units. Those would include one- and two-bedroom units, four of them dedicated to affordable housing. In addition, two of the homes would be built with accessory-unit-ready construction and converted if the project wins approval, for 42 total units, the developers have said.

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