Neighbors are alarmed to find 82-unit Paradise Drive concept online

A conceptual site map found online shows how 82 units could fit at 4576 Paradise Drive in Tiburon — though owner Eric Crandall says he’d never see it before it was forwarded by The Ark. Representatives for developer Harmonie Park confirmed they never showed it to him, saying it was only created to help assess his inquiry into what could fit if the site was rezoned as expected under Tiburon’s new housing element. (Harmonie Park, Dahlin Group Architecture)

Schematics discovered online that show an 82-unit development concept above Paradise Cay have set off alarm bells for neighbors already protesting the property’s late addition to Tiburon’s eight-year housing plan, as well as the rezoning that would accommodate it.

“I’ve never seen this before,” owner Eric Crandall, of 4576 Paradise Drive, said last week in an interview. “To say I’m surprised is an understatement.”

Back in December, the state Department of Housing and Community Development rejected the first draft of Tiburon’s 2023-2031 housing element, saying in part that it relied too heavily on multiunit buildings downtown and Senate Bill 9 lot-splits to meet its 639-unit regional assessment. Seeking to resolve both issues, Community Development Director Dina Tasini in January approached Crandall about including his 9.6-acre property in the revision. The site, which would require rezoning from one unit per acre to up to 12.4, was added to accommodate up to 93 units.

Crandall acknowledges a neighbor connected him to “some real-estate people” who agreed to provide him with their opinion on whether the property could handle such a development. He said he received their opinion but had no idea Los Gatos-based Harmonie Park Development and architects the Dahlin Group of Pleasanton had worked up a conceptual site plan to draw their conclusion.

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