Perched on top of the idyllic West Dublin Hills, the homes at Schaefer Ranch have been a hot commodity for families looking for larger homes with grand views of gorgeous terrain. Discovery Homes, a subsidiary of notorious developer Seeno Construction Company, is now looking to convert some of that precious open space to single family homes in Dublin, CA. 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. Such a study would be the same as the one approved by Dublin City Council to cram more high-density housing into an area of the Promenade where none had been planned originally. Consultant planner and Southern California resident Mike Porto is in charge of both controversial projects.

The Seeno family is no stranger to law enforcement and controversy. “The Seenos are billionaire developers from Northern California who have been accused of having organized crime connections as well a close relationship with the California motorcycle gang known as the Hell’s Angels. For over a full year now, the Whittemores have been living under the threat of death, serious bodily injury and/or criminal and civil prosecution because of actions threatened by the Seenos,” alleged a former business partner in an ongoing bitter lawsuit. Just two years ago, FBI and IRS agents raided the Concord headquarters of the Seeno Construction Company. In 2006, Discovery Homes was sued by several Pittsburg homeowners on San Lucia Drive who lost their backyards to a landslide.

Discovery Homes plans to exchange 17 acres of estate residential and 6 acres of open space for a proposed 5 acres of estate residential, 10 acres of single family residential, and 8 acres of open space. The proposed 5-acre estate residential parcel, which sits on top of a plateau in one of the Schaefer Ranch view corridors, will likely be converted to higher density single family residential at a later time.

Current Schaefer Ranch residents are less than thrilled by the prospect of more homes where none had been planned. At a recent City Council meeting, concerned Schaefer Ranch resident Rich Pfeiffer speculated that the proposed 8 acres of open space will, for all intents and purposes, be available only to the residents in the immediate vicinity. At the same time, Schaefer Ranch residents will lose the 5 acres of open space they currently enjoy.

Michelle Gilman, another Schaeffer Ranch resident, also voiced concern about the strain the additional homes will have on Dublin Elementary School, since these new homes were not included when the Schaefer Ranch project was first presented to the City of Dublin and Dublin Unified School District. Gilman wondered why the City of Dublin should approve more homes in the area, when the developer has yet to make good on its promise to open the long-awaited park at Schaefer Ranch. The City of Dublin maintains that the park will be built in the near future, but no specific date was provided.

Once the study is completed, Dublin City Council is unlikely to vote against the developer, given the City’s history with the Seeno family. Discovery Homes had successfully lobbied the City of Dublin four years ago to put 104 single family homes on 13 acres where the plans had called for only 12 estate homes on 57 acres at Schaefer Ranch. At the time, Discovery Homes had promised the remaining 44 acres would stay open space. In exchange for the increased residential density at Schaefer Ranch, Discovery Homes built a new brand new facility for the School of Imagination.

Furthermore, Discovery Homes has at least one friend on Dublin’s City Council. Prior to recusing himself from this agenda item, Councilmember Kevin Hart disclosed that he is currently in negotiation with Discovery Homes to purchase a home at Schaefer Ranch. While Councilmember Hart may not be able to vote on this issue, he is entitled to lobby the other councilmembers behind the scenes, if the Seeno family were to provide an enticing incentive for his services.

If the allegations of death threats and organized crime ties levied against the the Seeno family in that ongoing civil lawsuit are true, Dublin City Councilmembers may want to think twice about voting against the proposal to add more homes at Schaefer Ranch.

More About Seeno Construction Company

Seeno Construction was founded in 1938 by the late Albert D. Seeno and is now headed by his son, Albert Jr. The company’s holdings include part ownership of the Peppermill Hotel and Casino in Reno. Pleading guilty in federal court in 2002 for destroying the habitat of red-legged frogs by draining ponds at its San Marcos project in Pittsburg, Seeno Construction Company was fined $1 million. In 2003, Pittsburg City Councilman Frank Quesada pleaded no contest to conflict of interest charges for voting on Seeno projects while owing the developer $300,000. Quesada was sentenced to 300 hours of community service. Pittsburg’s former mayor, Frank Aiello, was fined $20,000 by state regulators in 2004 for failing to disclose accepting free hotel accommodations and football tickets from Albert Seeno Jr. That same year, Albert Seeno Jr. paid $775,000 in a settlement with Nevada gambling regulators, who had accused him of associating with a felon who worked for his construction company.