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Planning commission grants two-year extension for Mulberry Street condominium vesting tentative map
Summary
The Planning Commission approved a two-year extension of a vesting tentative map for an eight-unit, for-sale condominium project at 36952 Mulberry Street, moving the map expiration from June 22, 2025, to June 22, 2027, while design review remains subject to separate director approval.
The Newark Planning Commission on June 10 approved a two-year extension of the vesting tentative map for an approved eight-unit, for-sale condominium development at 36952 Mulberry Street, setting a new tentative-map expiration date of June 22, 2027.
Associate Planner Joseph Blotbat presented the staff report, describing the project as four two-unit dwellings (eight total units) on two merged lots that received planning and city council approval on June 22, 2023. Blotbat said amendments to the subdivision ordinance, adopted in October 2023, changed time-extension review authority (moving final review of design-review extensions to the community development director) and shortened the maximum allowable extension on vesting tentative maps from six years to two years. The applicant requested an extension because of financing delays; staff recommended a two-year extension.
Property owners in attendance include Thirumal Pathi Balakrishnan, Rajesh Rao, Ramaprasad Samajula and Sagar Deshpande. One of the property owners confirmed the team has been seeking construction financing and said interest rates had fallen from about 14% to roughly 10%, and they are working with lenders to proceed. The commission questioned timing and the trigger for map expiration: Artan Turiano, deputy director for community development, explained that entitlements require the applicant to pull building permits within the entitlement period; once a building permit is pulled and construction begins, the approvals are vested for the life of the construction.
Commissioner Aguilar moved to approve the two-year extension of the vesting tentative map for the Mulberry Street project; Commissioner Fitz seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
Blotbat noted that the design-review approval will automatically expire if not exercised or extended within two years of its approval and that design-review time-extension requests will be reviewed by the community development director, per the October 2023 ordinance amendments.
