Mallard Pointe to Oust Seniors

Letter to the Editor
“Mallard Pointe to Oust Seniors, Provide Little Affordable Housing”
Jean Bordon - Letter to City - February 22, 2022

The Tiburon Peninsula is waking up to the pressure California is putting on small towns to rapidly build significant amounts of housing (“Residents Consider Tiburon’s Housing Challenges,” Nov. 24, pg. 1). The intent of these many housing laws—SB 330, SB 35, SB 9 and SB 10, to name a few—is to increase the commendable goal of low-income and affordable workforce/housing. Sadly, these laws are being used by developers to try to subvert local zoning codes by instead proposing high-end homes and apartments and offering as few affordable units as possible. Belvedere currently faces this situation with the proposed Mallard Pointe development. Under the preliminary plan, 22 housing unites—in nine duplexes and a fourplex—on Mallard Road would be demolished. Of the current 38-plus residents, more than half are seniors. Their displacement from a supportive neighborhood is of great concern to me and to others in our community. The existing duplexes actually do serve a very useful purpose of providing differentiated housing. The new development would replace these 22 homes with a mere four affordable apartments of the total 42 units proposed in a preliminary application. I support responsible, appropriate growth in our cities, but not at the expense of our long-time residents.