THE FUTURE OF CLIMATE-FORWARD DEVELOPMENT IN THE BAY AREA
August 21, 2021 was a landmark moment for the future of Concord’s affordable housing and commercial development. The Concord City Council awarded the Master Developer contract to Seeno Company and its partner Discovery Builders, whose past behavior has exhibited a hostility towards climate-friendly development initiatives (Mukherjee, San Jose Mercury News).
Members of the Contra Costa Policy Action Squad, Bay Area Chapter of the Climate Reality Project, harbor extreme concerns about the ability of this developer to deliver housing which aligns with our values of climate protection and conservation.
In future blogs, we’ll outline the problems facing the future of Bay Area housing projects, how developers like Seeno Company and Discovery Builders hinder climate-forward initiatives, and what we can do to ensure our local leaders focus on preserving the health of our planet.
What is the Concord Naval Weapons Station Project, and Why is It Significant?
The city of Concord has been sitting on a near 2,300 acre parcel of land since the formal closure of the Concord Naval Weapons Station in 2005 (KPIX5 CBS SF Bay Area). The first major plans for urban development fell through in March of 2020 after the 2016 proposal by developer Lennar Five Point faced backlash--a result of workers union disagreements (KPIX5 CBS SF Bay Area).
The city of Concord faced a real crisis with the withdrawal of its initial developer. It’s no secret that the Bay Area faces a severe affordable housing shortage in our current real estate market. Proposals for the 2,300 acre project outlined the creation of as many as 13,000 housing units over the coming years, something which is desperately needed in cities across the Bay Area (Mukherjee, San Jose Mercury News).
Three developers entered bids to pick up on the development of this land project. Two of the players included:
Brookfield Development: A publicly traded, multi-national company that has developed thousands of housing units. These units include Pier 70 in San Francisco, with the company exhibiting glowing references and extensive details of its finances. Brookfield puts sustainability first, with a goal to implement solutions that lowers the environmental impact on the community.
City Ventures: An Irvine-based developer who has completed sizable projects in the Bay Area. One of these developments is The Orchard, consisting of 188 townhouses and 10,000 square feet of retail space in San Jose. Unlike Brookfield Development and Seeno Company, City Ventures’ proposal put more focus on housing and less on commercial development of the Concord Naval Weapons Station Project. In addition, City Ventures develops properties that are “all-inclusive green,” solar-powered and much more that meets the ideals of a climate-forward development.
Seeno Company and its Contentious History With Local Governments and Environmental Groups
Despite the proposals submitted by the reputable development firms above, the Concord City Council awarded development rights to Seeno Company and its partner Discovery Builders in a contentious 3-2 vote.
Both entities have actively fought against local government and environmental initiatives in recent years. In Concord’s case, the firms have been a major cause in the glacial pace of the Naval Weapons Station Project thus far.
Seeno Company and Discovery Builders have exhibited a pattern of hostile litigation against local government entities in recent years. This pattern emerged in 2018 when both firms sued Concord to prevent the U.S. Navy from transferring the Naval Weapons Station to the city. A similarly worded lawsuit was also filed last year against the East Bay Regional Park District.
Both lawsuits aimed at taking control of land development away from these local government entities. Their arguments revolved around conjecture concerning the massive scale of development producing so much traffic congestion and air pollution that it would harm their own nearby housing and office projects (Mukherjee, San Jose Mecury News).
Yes, you read that right--these firms argued that the East Bay Regional Park District’s development plans would negatively impact the environment of our community.
Seeno Company and Discovery Builders must be scrutinized further in how their plans will affect the Bay Area’s climate, as large-scale developments such as Concord’s have the potential to echo across both the Bay Area and the state of California. A history of harmful development within the Bay Area and a long list of environmental groups against their appointment make the Concord City Council’s decision all the more concerning to us here.
Save Mount Diablo sued Seeno-owned Discover Builders on March 30, 2021 to protect the ridgeline between Pittsburg and Concord.
West Coast Homebuilders, a Seeno-owned entity, was charged in federal court for killing and destroying the habitat of the endangered California red-legged frog at a Pittsburg construction site.
In the town of Pittsburg, critics sought to stop the influence that Seeno Companies and leaders had over the City Council, and hence, future elections. One wonders if this continues to happen.
We will continue to follow the Seeno Company and Discovery Builders’ plans for the Concord Naval Weapons Station. In the meantime, we urge all of those who share our concerns to contact the Concord City Council members to reverse their decision before it is too late.