Building Timeline Seems Unrealistic, and What About Neighbor Impact?

Letter to the Editor
Published in The Ark
February 9, 2022

Irene Borba, Belvedere's director of planning, was quoted in the Feb. 2 Ark: “Belvedere's neighborhoods form a compact community that is 'particularly sensitive' to construction impacts” ("City officials point to seawall, housing, impact from construction," pg. 5).

So is neighboring Tiburon. We in Tiburon might not be next-door neighbors to the proposed new development on the Belvedere Lagoon, but we share the roads, the Boardwalk, post office, San Francisco Yacht Club, Belvedere Community Park, and more.

As laid out in The Ark ("Developer submits final plans,” Feb. 2, front page), there are currently 22 residential duplexes at Mallard Pointe on the Belvedere Lagoon the developer proposes to tear down and replace with 42 new units.

The Mallard Pointe principal stated that, if approved, "the project would start in 2024 and be completed in a single stage over 18–24 months.” Let's do a math check on the reality of their time frame:

How much time is the developer allotting to build each of the 42 units of housing in 18 months? 13 days.

How long to build each of the 42 units of housing in 24 months? 17 days.

How long does it take to first demolish/bulldoze/dispose of the 22 duplex units, and to then prepare the site for building? Is that included in the construction timeframe?

I saw no mention of the impact on Community Park during construction in the Ark's Feb. 2 piece. How will our communal park and our families be protected from the heavy equipment traffic along the south side of the park, from the poor air quality, from the debris of destruction and development?