State demands action, reply from Belvedere on Mallard Pointe redevelopment

State housing officials are demanding answers from Belvedere about the slow progress of plans to redevelop Mallard Pointe, telling the city that apartments are legally allowed at the lagoon-side site and to schedule a public hearing. They have given Belvedere an Oct. 29 deadline to respond.

Meanwhile, the property owner is warning that further delays and costs could force it to “consider more intensive redevelopment options” to ensure the project remains economically feasible, which could mean as many as 68 units where 22 now sit.

Belvedere deemed the “fast track” application for a 40-unit redevelopment of the 2.8-acre site complete about 15 months ago. Recently, the city and the owners have publicly pointed fingers at each other for the delays in news reports and email blasts.

In a Sept. 29 “technical assistance” letter to City Manager Robert Zadnik, the California Department of Housing and Urban Development gave its interpretation of state and local laws, backing the owners’ longstanding legal positions about its right to build, and warning that the agency could refer the matter to the state attorney general.

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