Once referred to as a “reputable developer” by then Planning Commissioner Eric Swalwell only a week after its Concord headquarters was raided by the FBI in early 2010, Discovery Homes, a subsidiary of the notorious Seeno Construction Company, may be wearing out its welcome in Dublin, CA. While Eric Swalwell is now a City Councilmember with eyes on a US Congressional seat, his neighbors at Schaefer Ranch development in the west Dublin hills are among the latest victims in the Seeno family’s legacy of broken promises and shattered dreams.
More Homes Where None Had Been Planned
In order to squeeze as much profit out of its Schaefer Ranch project as possible, the Seeno family has dangled additional fee payments in front of Dublin City Council and Planning Commission in exchange for increased density and the conversion of open space into more homes. Dublin City Council recently approved a request by the developer to initiate a study to see what more homes within the view corridors at Schaefer Ranch would look like.
Schaefer Ranch Residents were promised gorgeous views and access to wide open spaces; however, the Seeno family is now trying to cram more homes into the Schaefer Ranch project by eliminating view corridors and access for residents to the remaining open space. Many wonder if the Seeno family will renege on its latest promise to build a long-delayed park that is now scheduled to open in June 2013. To buy more time, the Seeno family has agreed to pay an additional $500,000 to the City of Dublin to setup an endowment for the Dublin Heritage Park & Museums located a few miles from Schaefer Ranch, but that intention is not backed up by an official contract.
Is the School of Imagination on Shaky Grounds?
The Seeno family did make good on one promise to construct a brand new facility for the School of Imagination at Schaefer Ranch. The building offers tremendous views of the west Dublin hills and is an example of great public/semi-public use for the Dublin community. Given Discovery Homes’ history in Pittsburg on San Lucia Drive, the site location for the School of Imagination at Schaefer Ranch is unfortunate.
At the Planning Commission meeting on March 9th, 2010, a representative for the Seeno family admitted that tile shingles could not be installed on the roof of the School of Imagination building, because the weight from the tiles could cause the ground underneath to give way. In light of that public statement, Dublin residents have to wonder why the Seeno family chose that particular site to build the School of Imagination’s brand new facility. If something like the weight of tile shingles can cause the School of Imagination to slide down the hill towards I-580, one can only imagine what may happen after excessive rain from a major storm or the next big earthquake.
Schaefer Ranch Residents Not Alone in Uphill Fight
Dublin residents are not the Seeno family’s only victims. Similar to its bid to convert open space into more homes at Schaefer Ranch, the Seeno family is now trying to convert 11 acres of land that had been designated for a school at its Vacaville North Village project into 68 new single family homes.
Albert Seeno, III is a friend of the wildlife.
“It didn’t help that the decision to move the school site a mile north was made after the Airport Land Use Commission determined in 2006 that the southern school site on Parkside Drive was not appropriate because it was in the Nut Tree Airport’s flight path,” wrote Ian Thompson of The Daily Republic. “The residents only learned about the plan to put homes on the school site in late September, 2011.”
The Seeno family recently held a community meeting for North Village residents to listen to concerns and provide information on their proposal to build 68 homes where a school had previously been planned.
“The meeting did not go well. It was basically Albert Seeno III telling us what the new plans were, and he was unwilling to consider any of our suggestions,” observed North Village resident Curtis Costales. “His attitude was hostile, and at one point, I thought Seeno and another homeowner were going to physically fight.”
Some in the Dublin community are now concerned that the Seeno family will look beyond its Schaefer Ranch project and consider building in East Dublin at Positano or Sorrento East. In light of the Seeno family’s legacy of broken promises and shattered dreams throughout the Bay Area, the Dublin community is right to be worried.
The post Schaefer Ranch Residents in Dublin, CA Among Latest Victims of the Controversial Seeno Family appeared first on Around Dublin Blog.