The Pittsburg City Council is considering approval Monday of a controversial 1,500-home project proposed for the city’s southern hills.
The Faria/Southwest Hills project, approved by the city’s Planning Commission last July, has long been hotly debated and is strongly opposed by environmental groups, citizen activists and a variety of adjacent government agencies, especially the city of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District.
The project proposes 341 acres for single-family homes and 265 acres set aside as open space.
The subject of a 2005 city ballot measure that passed by less than 400 votes, the project is being proposed by the Seeno Construction group under its Altec Homes subsidiary. The company CEO Albert Seeno III spoke in support of the project at length in July.
Seeno Construction and Discovery Homes and their founder Albert Seeno Sr. have a long history of construction and political influence in Pittsburg. The company and some of its employees have also been the target of federal prosecutions in recent years in bank fraud and tax cases. Albert Seeno III entered a guilty plea to bank fraud on behalf of his company in December 2016 and agreed that it would pay a $11 million fine.
Neighboring Concord is also planning up to 13,000 homes at the site of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, which lies just south of the Faria project. The park district is also developing a new 2,700-acre regional park at the Concord site.
Juan Pablo Galvan of the group Save Mount Diablo has called the project’s approval “unfortunate but not surprising.”
He added Monday, “We have about 500 pages of objections ready to submit showing the project’s complete disregard of environmental protections and citizens’ opposition.”
Galvan said his organization “believes the project demonstrates a complete disregard for the environment and the wishes of the Pittsburg community.”
Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. and people can follow it virtually at http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/index.aspx?page=534.
If Seeno wants to built then he should build high rise apartment/condo complexes near Pittsburg Bart stations. That would help alleviate the traffic problems that 1500 single family homes would create. Much better use of land.
Nobody rides bart. That whole plan is a failure. Seeno builds homes and develops land. Building homes in a continuous housing crisis is probably a good idea. Nobody wants to live in an apartment and ride bart.
The Seeno did built apartment complexes near BART station: San Marco Villas, Oak Hills Apartments (walking distance to BART), and Edgewater Apartment (newly built in 2019).
And they have already got a plan for the water? Keep hearing we don’t have enough for us now…?
gosh! i wonder what they’ll do…
“housing crisis” big fat lie, just like insurrection, covid19, and climate change
heck get ready for denification!
i can’t find it, anyone remember the story here about adding more homes on existing property, they are doing it now in san jose, big shock as many there are recent transplants (illegal aliens) from mexico where i’d bet it is a usually practice in the slums
The housing crisis is a lie??
Is it just a coincidence that regular family homes in Concord – not anybody’s idea of a luxury neighborhood – are selling in the 700s, 800s? Is it just a coincidence that people super-commute into the Bay Area from Tracy, Antioch, Manteca!?
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Seeno’s Discovery Builders builds some of the crappiest homes around… ask any building inspector working for Concord or Walnut Creek.
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Of course it will be approved… Seeno has the entire Pittsburg City Council in his back pocket.
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If the houses will be smaller square footage lower priced on postage stamp sized lots, like a city east of them did, they will regret it. An names of city council members will forever be associated with the project.
First a land grab annexation of this land by Pittsburg, now a project that doesn’t comply with General Plan and is outside the Urban Limit Line. So much for the beauty of the hills which is really the origin of the Golden State monicker – the golden grass we see all summer.
Seeno doesn’t care. Too bad.
Have you read the general plan? What makes you think the general plan is good?
Seeno doesn’t care about the environment or the traffic problems. He has escaped punishment before when he blatantly disregarded habitat for the endangered Red Legged frog and bulldozed a stream that was passing through his development. He claimed that he didn’t see the paperwork and payed a fine. He is a lowlife who only cares about money, money and oh yes, his money. He’s been in trouble before and pays the fine, which to him is pennies on the dollar. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-builder-in-hot-water-over-rare-frog-Guilty-2802581.php
Moneypenny you are so right.
He owns all the politicians, he can what he wants
Gee do think anyone would ever think of building more reservoirs for all these new home builds? They keep building but no thought on added builds for extra water storage…. perpetual droughts wildfires and hazardous air quality to look forward to every late summer and fall 🤦♀️🤦♀️
We need more water resources and obviously, more power sources. The new builds will be all electric houses and we don’t have enough power in the summer. Pittsburg residents are fighting this they want to keep the open space and a developing into a park.
Nature always bats last. Prime example here. Our voiceless, furry neighbors in those hills deserve better.
Can they also build more parks and shops in Pittsburg so they stop coming to Concord and Walnut Creek?
They are building more shops it’s part of the deal. And also to comply with East Bay Park when building of the new park begins at naval station.
,,, so what is being done to add to infrastructure? more highway / freeway expansion? sources for water? power? …. nope – just drain more resources… cities are only concerned about increasing their own revenue streams… no regional planning at all Did they consult Concord, Antioch? Walnut Creek? nooooooo is my guess