Belvedere grants limited extension for Mallard Pointe redevelopment

A rendering looking north shows homes proposed for the Mallard Pointe development, which would replace 22 units with 40 at 1-22 Mallard Road in Belvedere. The City Council on June 8 extended the project's tentative subdivision map to March 19, 2027. (Sutton Suzuki Architects)

The Belvedere City Council has granted the Mallard Pointe developer more time to complete the steps required to subdivide the property, but far less than it sought. The decision followed a lengthy hearing marked by skeptical questioning from councilmembers and warnings from residents about the risks of demolishing the existing buildings before other pieces of the project are in place.

The council voted unanimously June 8 to extend the tentative map for the 40-unit Mallard Pointe development at 1-22 Mallard Road to March 19, 2027. A tentative map is the city’s preliminary approval to divide a property into building lots, which will let developer Thompson Dorfman Partners sell some of the single-family homes individually — sales it’s counting on to help make the project financially viable. The developer must meet the tentative map’s conditions and record a final map before construction can begin.

The action means the long-debated redevelopment remains alive but under a tighter deadline. The project will replace 22 existing units between City Hall and Belvedere Lagoon with a mix of an apartment building, townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes. Four units must be set aside as affordable for low- and very-low-income households for 55 years.

Thompson Dorfman had asked for a three-year extension, to May 13, 2029. City staff recommended a shorter, two-year extension, to May 13, 2028. The council chose an even shorter time frame, deliberately setting the map to expire the same day as the project’s design review approval.

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