State rejects Belvedere’s third try at housing plan
Sacramento has rejected Belvedere’s eight-year housing roadmap for the third time, with continued questions about how properties already in use will be redeveloped to meet the state’s mandates for the city.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development’s five-point, five-page review letter of Jan. 14 represents at least one big win, appearing to accept projections of up to 32 accessory dwelling units in the 188-unit 2023-2031 housing element, which was submitted for 60-day review in November. That’s nearly 50% over the original “safe harbor” calculation of 21 based on historic permitting when the planning process began.
Along with the projections for second units, vacant lots and approved projects in the works — such as the 39-unit redevelopment of Mallard Pointe — account for 65 of the total units projected in Belvedere’s plan, while already-developed sites account for the remaining 123.
That continues to pose a problem toward state certification, as the housing agency wrote that Belvedere “must demonstrate existing uses are not an impediment to additional residential development” and that, absent substantial evidence, nonvacant sites identified by the city for housing won’t be accepted.
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