Belvedere drops Mallard Pointe project manager

Belvedere has cut ties with the consulting firm it hired four months ago to oversee the Mallard Pointe redevelopment, leaving the city without a third-party project manager weeks before demolition could begin on the 22-unit lagoon-side complex.

The city contracted with Phillips Seabrook Associates of Santa Rosa on April 13 to oversee the 40-unit development on Belvedere Lagoon. The position was not optional: The conditions of approval the council attached to Mallard Pointe commit the city to retaining a part-time consultant to handle day-to-day coordination among the developer, city staff and residents, something residents had pressed the city for. Councilmembers discussed what they wanted from the role at their February retreat, and that feedback shaped the request for proposals. Three firms responded and all three were interviewed.

In an Aug. 10 newsletter, the city said it had decided to end its engagement with the firm.

Planning and Building Director Rebecca Markwick, answering questions by email, said the city reassessed its needs for the role and went looking for other firms with “a different mix of skills and expertise.” She said Aug. 14 that Belvedere was interviewing firms and expected to select a replacement within two weeks.

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