3.1 Introduction

This chapter summarizes housing needs and constraints in the City of Belvedere. The analysis of housing needs primarily utilizes data compiled by ABAG in the Housing Needs Data Report: Belvedere (ABAG/MTC, Baird + Driskell Community Planning, April 2, 2021), which was approved by HCD. For a detailed analysis of housing needs, please see Appendix B (Housing Needs Assessment). Also, for a detailed analysis of governmental and non-governmental constraints, please see Appendix C (Housing Constraints).

Summary of Key Facts

This section provides a summary of key facts related to housing in Belvedere.

The population of Belvedere has remained essentially the same or has even slightly declined between 2000 to 2020, which differs from the steady increase in the Bay Area. Overall, the population of the Bay Area continues to grow because of natural growth and because of the strong economy that draws new residents to the region.

Belvedere has high housing costs and little unit diversity. The Zillow Market Index values housing in Belvedere at an average of $4.2 million per unit, significantly above the county’s $1.08 million average value. Eighty-four percent of the housing in Belvedere is single-family detached units, 7.7 percent is small multifamily, 4.8 percent is single family attached, and 3.5 percent medium or large multifamily.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of rental units rent for $2,000 or more a month, compared to 48 percent in Marin County and 42 percent in the Bay area. The median rent in 2019 in Belvedere was $2,600. Renters make up almost a quarter (24 percent) of all households in Belvedere.

Residential permits between 2015 and 2019 have been minimal and favored moderate and above moderate-income households. Only four permits were issued since 2015, none of which fell in the very low- or low-income permit categories. Since 2000, Belvedere has only added 29 housing units out of 1,060 total units in the city—less than three percent of the city’s total housing stock.

Belvedere’s population is less diverse than the region overall in racial and ethnic composition: 92 percent of Belvedere’s residents identify as non-Hispanic White, compared to 71 percent for Marin County and 39 percent for the Bay area overall. Five percent of residents are of Hispanic descent, compared to 16 percent in the County and 24 percent in the Bay area. Two percent of residents identify as Asian, about four percentage points less than in the county, but lower than the Bay area overall (27 percent). The city has expanded its diversity, albeit slightly, since 2000, driven by growth in the share of Hispanic residents in the city (two percent to five percent). However, this is not likely to remain as the entirety of the under 18 years of age population is non-Hispanic White (100 percent).

Poverty rates highlight the disparity in income and opportunities by race, with the Asian and Hispanic populations experiencing 9.3 percent and 5.6 percent poverty rates, respectively, while the poverty rate for non-Hispanic White residents is 2.6 percent.

There are minor disparities in housing cost burden in Belvedere by race/ethnicity and by tenure (renters/owners). Non-Hispanic White residents experienced the highest cost burden (38 percent), with 21 percent being severely cost burdened (spending greater than 50 percent of income on housing). Renters recorded slightly higher cost burdens than owners (39 percent vs 32 percent respectively) but were much more likely to be severely cost burdened (30 percent to 16 percent).

The City of Belvedere is covered entirely by one census tract. Therefore, it is not possible to draw distinctions geospatially within the city for renters, concentrations of poverty, displacement vulnerable, and socially vulnerable residents.

Mortgage denial rates vary by race and ethnicity, particularly for Hispanic applications that were rejected in half of the cases (four total cases). However, only 114 total applications across all races were submitted from 2018 to 2019.

None of the fair housing complaints filed in Marin County from 2017 to 2021 were in the City of Belvedere.

As of 2019, students in the Tamalpais Union High School District were 71 percent White, with Hispanic students making up 12 percent of the student body. Graduation rates for all students were roughly equivalent for all races and ethnic minorities, with the overall rate of 95 percent, almost ten percentage points higher than the state average.

Belvedere student college readiness was average with 68.3 percent of students prepared for college. However, this number was significantly higher than the state’s average of 44 percent.