Foes press bid to block Seeno from station job

CONCORD >> Foes of the controversial Seeno family building companies are waging a last-ditch effort to pressure City Council members to do an aboutface and reject the companies’ bid to become master developer of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.

In an unusual move, a member of Seeno opposition group Concord Community Alliance asked the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County’s central committee to throw its weight against the council members who voted in August to award an exclusive negotiating agreement to the Seeno companies for one of the biggest developments in East Bay history.

Meanwhile, environmental group Save Mount Diablo is distributing flyers encouraging residents to contact the three council members — Mayor Tim McGallian, Vice Mayor Dominic Aliano and Councilman Edi Birsan — who voted to give Seeno the agreement. Council members Carlyn Obringer and Laura Hoffmeister voted for rival Brookfield Partners.

In addition, Concord Community Alliance is circulating petitions to “reverse the Seeno decision.” It has collected more than 1,700 signatures.

The lead development company, Discovery Builders, was established by a Seeno family member, as were development team members Lewis Concord Member LLC and California Capital and Investment Group.

Unless the council majority changes direction, Seeno will be firmly in the driver’s seat to oversee construction of as many as 13,000 homes and millions of square feet of office and commercial space at the former naval weapons site — the equivalent of a small town.

Hoping to enlist some political clout to make the council reconsider, Kenji Yamada, who is affiliated with Concord Community Alliance, went to the Democratic Party’s central committee on Thursday night and asked it to approve a resolution opposing Seeno’s selection.

He told committee members the council had received hundreds of letters and comments opposing the decision.

“A resolution objecting to that decision is an unfortunately mild response, but it is at least the bare minimum to show the voting public that this developer selection does not represent the Democratic Party,” Yamada said.

The committee voted 33-8 to reject the resolution, however. It also declined to send letters of concern about Seeno’s selection, saying it’s inappropriate to undermine the council.

Some on the committee said they worried that taking a stance against council members endorsed by the party could jeopardize their seats in future elections.

“We have not been asked to collaborate,” said Sue Hamill, a Walnut Creek resident and party executive. “The only ask I see is a strong-arm attempt to influence our endorsements.”

Councilman Birsan, who is considering a run for Contra Costa Supervisor Karen Mitchoff’s seat next year, is also a member of the central committee and voted no on every letter opposing Seeno’s selection.

“I am very happy that the party did not surrender to the Seeno hatred that is coming out of certain areas and took a practical and rational, realworld approach of, ‘Let’s try to make things better, not make things worse,’” Birsan said Friday.

Guy Bjerke, Concord’s director of economic development, said Seeno’s opponents are running out of time.

“If the council were to decide that they no longer wanted to engage with (the developers), they would have to do that on Tuesday night,” Bjerke said. “Otherwise, we’re pretty much locked into at least the preliminary stage.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council will be asked to approve the agreement giving Seeno the master developer title. If that happens, the two parties next would set a sixmonth timeline to analyze cost estimates and come up with specific development plans.

By spring, they would need to begin assessing the environmental impacts of such a massive development.

Seeno is no stranger to the project. In 2018, the companies filed a shortlived lawsuit against the U.S. Navy to stop it from transferring thousands of acres where the new housing community will eventually be built to the city.

At the time, Lennar was the master developer of the project, having beaten out Seeno for the job. Lennar later walked away from the project following a dispute with the city over union hiring.

Last year, Discovery Builders sued to stop the East Bay Regional Park District from building a new park on Navy land directly adjacent to the Concord project site.

The district had opposed Discovery Builders’ plan to construct 1,500 homes in Pittsburg, directly adjacent to where the park will eventually go.

The two sides reached a settlement agreement, which required Discovery to scale back the Pittsburg development so it won’t be seen from the future park’s visitor center.

Although Seeno representatives have consistently declined to be interviewed, the company issued a statement last month, saying “We look forward to working with the City of Concord and the Concord community to design and develop a first class project that the entire region can all be proud of.”