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Notorious Seeno Family to Squeeze in More Homes at Schaefer Ranch in Dublin, CA

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Discovery Homes recently received Dublin City Council approval to pack homes more densely at Schaefer Ranch in Dublin, CA. Increasing the lot coverage ratio from 35% to 40% is an important step for Discovery Homes, a subsidiary of the notorious Seeno Construction Company, to cram more housing units into Schaefer Ranch, as the controversial developer gets ready to reduce the lot sizes at the Orchid project from 4,500 square feet to around 4,000 square feet. The change will also reduce private yard space for the homeowners and diminish views for current Schaefer Ranch residents.

Located in the West Dublin hills to the south of Dublin Boulevard, the Orchid at Schaefer Ranch was originally zoned for 12 estate homes in 2008. Discovery Homes struck a deal with the Dublin City Council to convert the 12 estate homes into 104 single-family residential homes. A poll of 124 readers on the Around Dublin Blog indicated that only 30% of the respondents favored the change. The 104 home limit was later bumped up to 140 homes.

The latest lot coverage increase granted by Dublin City Council will allow Seeno Homes to increase density by another 15% to further boost their profits at the expense of current residents at Schaefer Ranch.

Schaefer Ranch residents know all about broken promises from developer Discovery Homes. They were promised gorgeous views and access to wide open spaces; however, the Seeno family is now trying to eliminate the view corridors and block access 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 set up 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.

Dublin City Council’s recent decision to let the Seeno family break yet another promise at Schaefer Ranch is not surprising. Councilmember and US Congressional candidate Eric Swalwell referred to Seeno Construction Company as a “reputable developer” during his brief stint as a Planning Commissioner only a week after the FBI’s first raid of their Concord headquarters. The Seeno family has been under investigation for criminal activities such as extortion, tax fraud, and mail and wire fraud since at least 2010. Councilmember Kevin Hart recently disclosed that he was looking to purchase a home at Schaefer Ranch. Whether Hart received any home upgrade “incentives” from Discovery Homes in exchange for favorable votes on the City Council remains unclear.

Discovery Homes will likely complete construction on their portion of the development within the next few years.

The post Notorious Seeno Family to Squeeze in More Homes at Schaefer Ranch in Dublin, CA appeared first on Around Dublin Blog.


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