2012 - February 11 Discover your perfect home in a DeNova community. There is no developer without original sin, Birsan said. The company is constantly opening new communities and we are never expected to travel far to our communities. ", "This is to convey our thanks and appreciation for the outstanding services my husband and I have received from Seeno. In December 2016, he entered a guilty plea to bank fraud on behalf of his company and agreed to pay a $11 million fine. Now discover your perfect home in a DeNova community. A Southern California native, he studied at UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. The 10 most expensive reported home sales in Hayward the week of Feb. 20, Winds shred tarp, leave historic San Jose building exposed to elements, Alameda County supervisors allow eviction moratorium to remain until end of April, Exactly what I needed: South Bay teachers move into affordable units, https://www.ebparks.org/parks/concord_hills/default.htm. Barring any more significant setbacks like those that have long plagued the planned development, the equivalent of a small town of 13,000 homes and millions of square feet in office and retail space could rise from the abandoned 2,300-acre Navy property over the next couple of decades. Dont be fooled by homebuilders fancy photos of parks and trails (and) beautiful fairy tales of good neighbor communities, the website said. They also successfully pressed for a development agreement that precludes the companies from suing the city at some future point. It seems really nave and really irresponsible to think our community would be immune to these same behaviors, said Kat Hannah. Save Mount Diablos lawsuit challenges the February 22, 2021 approval of the Faria project by the Pittsburg City Council. We need workers that are getting good on-the-job training, said Israel Avila, a local carpenter, and we need the council to support good partners like (the Seeno team).. Save Mount Diablo Sues Seeno Discovery Builders to Protect Major Ridgeline in Pittsburg, Again this Website has Moved to ContraCosta.News, Yes! Argentina. Compare and save your favorite communities and floorplans with MyDeNova. In order to support the functionality of our website and to tailor our ads to match your likely interests, we and our service providers collect information about your use of this site. Selling their homes is like having an over-priced listing. The U.S. Navy transferred almost 2,216 acres of the defunct weapons station to the district in 2019 to create a new regional park in partnership with the National Park Service. Inspiring cities. The Faria project violates Pittsburgs General Plan, state planning and zoning law, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In connection with his plea agreement, Shahid admitted that he conspired with others to fraudulently cause bank underwriters to approve mortgage loans for unqualified buyers during the height of the financial crisis. At NewHomeSource.com, we update the content on our site on a nightly basis. You don't know who is related to who or why, but favoritism is prevalent. Looking for a new home? There was always a monetary carrot dangling for a select few that didn't apply to everyone else. Dennis Lund: George Zimmermans Oxbow Incident. This wont happen again. It is old school male dominated world. The Faria project would change the beautiful green hills forever by annexing the property to the City of Pittsburg and locating 1,650 new residences far from jobs, transit, and services. Contra Costa County Superior Judge Edward G. Well ruled last week that the citys environmental review of the project was inadequate because it failed to assess how so many houses would impact water supply, air quality and nearby plant life, according to a statement from Save Mount Diablo. This rating has decreased by -3% over the last 12 months. We are very pleased with the schools in the area and the beautiful parks nearby. The Pittsburg City Council approved Seeno Discovery Builders Faria project. Lees said he favors new construction and believes La Habra will approve enough housing to meet state goals. He agreed to pay a $8 million fine, with interest, over five years. Concord council doubles down on Seeno companies, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Concord council doubles down on Seeno companies for Naval Weapons Station redevelopment. Aside from their favorite agents everyone else was treated like dirt. Select homes are offered at unbeatable prices with discounts up to $150,000. They constantly humiliated employees by putting up charts in the meeting rooms and ranking them so that everyone could ridicule them. In a plea deal accepted by the judge on Thursday, Seeno III agreed to pay $3 million in restitution toFannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two taxpayer-sponsored financial services companies, within 120 days. Hours are very strict - either 7am to 4pm or 8am to 5pm. Measure X, which specifically targets the Rancho La Habra plan, would take development decisions from the city council ensuring no further development on the property, the lawsuit said. This Website Has Moved to ContraCosta.news, East Bay Regional Park District Celebrates Green Friday. Your email address will not be published. Judith Prieve is a reporter and editor for the Bay Area News Group who covers eastern Contra Costa County for the East Bay Times and The Mercury News. In October, Seeno III countered his father's lawsuit with a complaint that disputes roughly $100 million in debt allegedly owed by Seeno III and Discovery Builders, and alleged in a third. Last, and certainly not least, is the service. Shahid and his coconspirators were responsible for saddling the banking system with dozens of fraudulent mortgage loans without regard for the damage those loans would cause to individual home buyers, downstream investors, and, ultimately, the U.S. economy as a whole, said U.S. Attorney Haag. Hmmm.. Where do I begin?? Shahids plea agreement explained that it was important to the scheme to maintain inflated property values because if the home and property values dropped, the value of the collateral would drop and the line of credit would be put at risk. For more than a decade, Jeff Collins has followed housing and real estate, covering market booms and busts and all aspects of the real estate industry. wheeler and thompson funeral home; albert seeno net worth. We seek to ensure that all of the data presented on the site regarding new homes and new home communities is current and accurate. According to Clement, Throughout the East Bay, residents have worked hard to protect our ridges and views, and to defend our parks. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Discovery and Seeno Homes is right for you. Accordingly, Shahid instructed DSI employees not to inform appraisers of the incentives being given to buyers. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. The Concord Hills Regional Park Land Use Plan provides for public access, preserves 95 percent of the areas natural habitat, and honors the unique natural and human history of the land. Two of three former Seeno employees who cooperated with FBI investigators have yet to be sentenced for their guilty pleas as part of this scheme. If approved by the City Council, the Local Agency Formation Commission still must approve the propertys annexation before homes can be built. The 10 most expensive reported home sales in Hayward the week of Feb. 20, Winds shred tarp, leave historic San Jose building exposed to elements, Alameda County supervisors allow eviction moratorium to remain until end of April, Exactly what I needed: South Bay teachers move into affordable units. Former Bank of America loan officer Jennifer Xiao, Homecomings Financial underwriter Tony Phan and independent brokers Sharon Wang, Heather Yin, Miguel Arenas, George Zevada and Chang Park were also charged as participants in the scheme. The family-run companies go back several generations in Concord and currently are headed by Albert Seeno III. We very much appreciate owning a Seeno built home and would not hesitate to purchase another one. The EIR failed to provide an adequate project description, for example, by omitting information about the location of elements of the planned residential development and about related public services, such as water consumption rates. The company was also placed on probation for five years, which gives the federal government another way to ensure payments are made, Hemann said. Shahid admitted he and others took steps to ensure information that would reflect poorly on the value of the homes was kept out of bank loan files. Cherry trees bloom early in DC due to confusing weather, This is unprecedented: Avian flu has killed 12,000 birds in Colorado, Garamendi's bill would extend water treatment facility permits, Chart: Bay Area rainfall totals for this week, a separate lawsuit with the East Bay Regional Park District, to take over the Naval Weapons Station project as master developer. Jim Lees, co-founder of Save La Habra, noted that none of the proposed housing would help La Habra meet state-mandated affordable housing requirements. Tech, restaurant, logistics layoffs trigger more than 300 Bay Area job cuts, Shooting in Oakland hotel parking lot puts man in critical condition, East Bay lawmaker blasts open sore at BART, resigns from Senate committee, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Antioch: Homicide suspect arrested in Brentwood home, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. No regard/plan for customer service. As part of the agreement passed Tuesday, the council wont be allowed to take political donations from employees of the development teams or their subcontractors. Lennar begrudgingly paid those extortive fees for fear of losing its investment in the project and in effort to show collaboration with the city, the lawsuit said. According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Discovery and Seeno Homes to be coworkers, career development and the cons to be senior leadership, benefits, management. There were four issues where, respectfully, we believe the Court overlooked key evidence in the record, said Kristina Lawson, a managing partner for the Hanson Bridgett, LLP. Keep track of your documents and receive updates on the progress of your new home with MyDeNova. The owner of the company might pop into your community occasionally but he is always really humble and tries to blend like a regular buyer. Discovery Builders recently settled a lawsuit it had filed last year against the East Bay Regional Park District to stop the Navys transfer of nearby land for the creation of a new park. Shahid fraudulently inflated the price of homes purchased by individuals who were unable to pay their mortgages in the long run. Developers have thrown a wrench into the East Bay Regional Park Districts decades-old plan to create a regional park in the Pittsburg hills overlooking the former Concord Naval Weapons Station site. Although it felt as if they were pushing you off a ledge almost every week at the end of the day if you worked hard for them they would take care of you. Actual porch and window configuration varies from artists renderings. Exactly what you said. But, he added, Discovery Builders believes an environmental review of the park proposal was inconsistent with California Environmental Quality Act requirements. And if an environmental report shows there shouldnt be any significant, insurmountable impacts from the project such as excessive toxic waste, the Navy expects to transfer the land to the city in about two years. We were supposed to get the loan process started and picking our upgrades for the interior this week. Judge halts high housing development in East, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Judge halts high housing development in East Bay hills.