Publisher of EastCountyToday and host of several Podcast Shows if you can, please hit the donate button and show support. I really enjoyed working for Seeno Homes, as it was the first builder to hire me with little experience. Now discover your perfect home in a DeNova community. This is our third home, however, our first home purchased from Seeno. There is no developer without original sin, Birsan said. Open space, even privately owned open space is just too precious and too scarce to turn over part of it to development, former Mayor Tom Beamish said during an October city council meeting that set the stage for a 3-0 vote on Nov. 2 to kill the project. His attorney William Keane occasionally comforted him with pats on the back. Shahid is next scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing on Dec. 10, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. PST before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers of the Northern District of California. NOW SELLING! Seeno III, who is the president of Discovery Sales, said he trusted his staff to run Discovery Sales while he focused his attentions on the building development side of his business, which includes A.D. Seeno Construction Co. started by his father Albert Seeno Jr., and Seeno Homes and Discovery Homes. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Concord-based developer Albert Seeno III against the East Bay Regional Parks District, which hopes to build a new park at the former Concord Naval Weapons. Jason Sterlino was sentenced in February to six months in prison for what Assistant U.S. Attorney John Hemann called minor fraud conducted to further the scheme. It always felt like your last day wishing that they would end this horrible cycle and you would have a life on the other side. 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. The Faria project would also impact the new Concord Hills Regional Park, which the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) has long planned at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station at the Faria sites southwestern edge. Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Discovery and Seeno Homes, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. According to Clement, Throughout the East Bay, residents have worked hard to protect our ridges and views, and to defend our parks. The buyers were not required to possess or post any of their own money when buying a home; DSI, the builders and their affiliates provided money to buyers to make down payments. All of these testimonials and reviews for Seeno Homes are from verified homebuyers. Employees also rated Discovery and Seeno Homes 2.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.3 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities. Seeno Company never expressed any specific concerns or opposition to the new park during the two-decades-long planning processuntil now, after the land use plan has been approved.. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. One hears horror stories when buying a home where workmanship is poor and the builder does not stand behind their mission statement. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Discovery and Seeno Homes is right for you. 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, Single family residence sells in Fremont for $2.5 million, Single family residence sells for $1.7 million in Oakland, Concord Naval Weapons Stations long-anticipated redevelopment, refusing to hire local labor for construction work, filed last year against the East Bay Regional Park District, halt it from transferring its property for any development, scrambled in recent weeks to change council members minds. More than 80 families have come forward alleging elder neglect and financial abuse as part of a federal lawsuit targeting the largest senior living provider in the country . Both urged city staff to make sure that key features of the eventual development including a guarantee that 25% of the new homes would be affordable survive the negotiations. ", "Over all the homes we looked at (believe me we have looked at many) Seeno Homes - A. D. Seeno Construction Co. was by far the perfect home for us. The Faria project would sit directly above the new park on a ridgeline, degrading views from surrounding areas. One of the many residents who called into Tuesdays meeting complained that regardless of what the agreement says, Seeno might use litigation as a weapon in negotiations. OAKLAND A major Northern California home developeron Thursday pleaded guilty to bank fraud on behalf of his home sales company and was ordered to pay $11 millionfor a builder bailout scam that he contends he knew nothing about. Shahid agreed that the losses that resulted from foreclosures or short sales on these homes were approximately $75 million; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which purchased mortgage loans used to pay for Seeno and Discovery Homes, lost almost $3.5 million. 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).. During slow times it was extremely hard to be positive and I feel as though I have tough nerves. The . A very important factor when buying anything is the service after the purchase. Save Mount Diablo is not opposed to all growth. 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. It is the third largest fine ever ordered within the criminal division of the U.S. District Courts Northern District of California, according to Hemann, the prosecutor. Management was untrained and one ruler ( Ayman) CEO was the last word although this was a love hate relationship. The biologically rich site supports sensitive wildlife species and rare plants and is in one of the most visible and most environmentally constrained areas of the county. How exciting to be able to build your dream home from the ground up, or so we thought. But, he added, Discovery Builders believes an environmental review of the park proposal was inconsistent with California Environmental Quality Act requirements. Concord-based developer Albert Seeno III and Discovery Builders filed a lawsuit alleging the districts proposed Concord Hills Regional Park would negatively affect their planned residential development on an adjacent 606-acre plot. It also failed to discuss appropriate alternatives. Whenever we have had a problem, no matter how major or minor, the response from the service department, both prompt and courteous, has been exceptional. 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. The family of builders has earned a reputation for engaging in drawn-out legal battles against public agencies and environmental groups, though the companies have also fostered a strong relationship with local labor unions. One being in middle school, one in elementary and one toddler. As part of that settlement, the developers promised to build the homes back a ways from property lines so they would be less visible from the eventual parkland. If approved by the City Council, the Local Agency Formation Commission still must approve the propertys annexation before homes can be built. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Because Discovery Sales holds no assets as the sales arm of the Seeno company, the millions will be paid by Seeno personally and through his other business interests, attorneys said. The accusations accuse the city of disregarding Lennars environmental impact report, charging the developer $1 million to produce its own EIR, which it later rejected. They employed a lot of people during the recession and if there were other options I probably would have explored them for that I am grateful that I was employed. It is your responsibility to independently verify the information on the site. Broker cooperation welcome. 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. As if any open space is a bad thing. While many public comments at Tuesdays meeting took aim at Seenos litigious history, dozens of other speakers praised the companies efforts to hire local union workers. Seeno Construction had a permit to let its contractor bulldoze an old barn and a small house but had been instructed not to touch any trees. 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. This is the true culmination of a decades-long community effort, Beverly Lane, who has represented Concord on the East Bay Regional Park District board since 1994, said in a written statement. Lennar also accused the city of demanding a $40 million development fee at one point, calling the levy unlawful and unrelated to any reasonable relationship to the citys services, the lawsuit said. Inspiring cities. A lot of favoritism. As a result, rare habitat for special status species would be lost. Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. wheeler and thompson funeral home; albert seeno net worth. Seeno III made the admission in an attempt to assure U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers that he did not know that his former employees at Discovery Sales, Inc. were obtaining mortgages for buyers of Seeno-built homes through illegal means in 2006-2008. The Faria project violates Pittsburgs General Plan, state planning and zoning law, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Discovery and Seeno Homes has an overall rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on over 16 reviews left anonymously by employees. Join the Northern California interest list to be kept informed of the latest information. In 3 years I only took 5 days off. Selling their homes is like having an over-priced listing. Seeno Homes House 6communities Discovery Homes and Seeno Homes are honored to be one of the top home builders in Northern California year after year. The Rancho La Habra project first was proposed by Standard Pacific Homes, which later was acquired by Lennar, a Miami-based developer with its West Coast headquarters in Irvine. The project as approved by the city authorizes the development of a major, new residential subdivision on 606 acres of ridgeline and hillside grazing land in what is currently unincorporated Contra Costa County, immediately south of the City of Pittsburg. 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. An investigation by this newspaper showed that during a 16-month period from 2006 to 2008, Seeno companies opened at least $1.24 billion in construction lines of credit. 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. It is a family business and nepotism runs rampid. Those units represent approximately 60,000 new car trips per day that will soon impact local roads and Highway 4. I really appreciate having someone take the time to answer questions patiently and without having someone being over persistent on selling me something. 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. Developers and opponents of a neighboring 760-home project in Fullertons West Coyote Hills litigated for years over that housing plan. The courts decision says to developers: You dont get to kick the can down the road. Council members Carlyn Obringer and Laura Hoffmeister, who voted in August to give the job to rival developer Brookfield Properties, joined their colleagues Tuesday to make the Seeno teams selection unanimous. Do not waste your time/talent on this job. 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. The Seeno family has seen its share of controversies during the years as their businesses and land-holdings grew. If you are looking to get your feet wet in the new home industry give them a try but dont have high expectations. We will continue to pursue executives and corporations who fraudulently took advantage of the country's financial turmoil for their own corporate gain., Shahid participated in a fraudulent scheme involving over $230 million in mortgage loans, many of which ultimately defaulted, to the detriment of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the American taxpayers, said Special Agent in Charge DeMarco. 39% of employees would recommend working at, According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Discovery and Seeno Homes employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. Jerome Page: Its not inequality, its envy. We have been building quality homes since the formation of Seeno Homes by Albert D. Seeno, Sr in 1938. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Traffic on Bailey Road, San Marco Blvd., and Highway 4 would be made much worse. Shahid was charged in April 2014 with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and 17 individual counts of bank fraud. The suit followed the Concord City Councils decision to award the master development contract for that project to another team instead of Seenos team. Seeno III said Thursday the company has an entirely new staff, and now has more oversight. The city council ignored hundreds of letters and public comments that opposed the project. The primary purpose of the price inflation was to support a large line of credit maintained by the builders; the new homes and the property on which the homes would be built collateralized the line of credit. The only con I can think of is we work every weekend and our time off is limited. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Find a Great First Job to Jumpstart Your Career, Getting a Job Is Tough; This Guide Makes it Easier, Climb the Ladder With These Proven Promotion Tips, A Guide to Negotiating the Salary You Deserve. 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. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? His voice sounded full of emotion at times during the hour-long hearing. 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. The 1,650 homes, as approved last year by the City Council, would be clustered in valleys along the ridgeline, encompassing 341 acres. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Discovery Builders Faria project would damage the major ridgeline between east and central Contra Costa County, threaten views from throughout the region, and impact the new regional park on the Concord side of the ridge. Seeno III has also been the subject of controversy. Last, and certainly not least, is the service. Any future disagreements would need to involve the projects details and not Seenos track record. We identified deficiencies in the CEQA review, he said. The city is evaluating the lawsuit and has no comment at this time, saidRobert Ferrier,assistant to the city manager. For more information, please see our, Residence 4 (Duet) - Residence 4 (Duet) | Bay Area Bungalow, Residence 2 - Residence 2 | Spanish Bungalow, Residence 2 - Residence 2 | Traditional Elevation. Concord-based Seeno Construction Co., which has plans to build 152 homes on the site, received about $300 in fines from county code enforcement for illegally bulldozing the trees. DeNova Homes reserves the right to make changes in price, material, and specifications without notice and without liability for such changes. Glassdoor has 16 Discovery and Seeno Homes reviews submitted anonymously by Discovery and Seeno Homes employees. Seeno is no stranger to the project. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Franciscos Special Prosecutions Unit. The treat the employees as if they were worthless. I and a partner set up the office to our liking and just "Sold" homes. CEQA requires legally adequate environmental review, consideration of appropriate alternatives, and implementation of mitigations to reduce impacts. We all know Seeno runs Pittsburg, and is the areas worst example of environmental consciousness. Add Benefits. Enthusiasm and dedication, thats what drives our team to provide exceptional leadership and even better results. Sales & marketing by DeNova Homes Sales, DRE #01247582 Equal Housing Opportunity. This wont happen again. All they do is ruin this place with their ugly houses! From the time we initially purchased our home and worked with the sales representative, Seeno has provided exceptional service and has been responsive to our needs. As an employee you would probably push your self more than ever working for this company. 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. The Seeno family of development companies wants to build 1,650 homes in the hills that overlook the Concord Naval Weapons Station. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Shahid told investigators that Seeno III knew about the criminal activity. The suit also seeks to invalidate the initiative approved in November, known as Measure X, requiring voter approval ofchanges to open space zones. We checked out the new Seeno homes on Cunningham Dr in Fairfield and signed on one late Friday 12/23/16 and gave them a $7500 deposit check. Shahid agreed that the losses that resulted from foreclosures or short sales on these homes were approximately $75 million; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which purchased mortgage loans used to pay for Seeno and Discovery Homes, lost almost $3.5 million. According to the lawsuit, the park district did not do a sufficient level of environmental review of the regional parks potential impacts on future residents of the planned subdivision and the developers adjacent land and corporate office employees less than a mile away. Just as Pittsburg residents criticized the Faria development, Concord residents last year took the council to task for handing the citys future to the Seeno companies. 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. It is my expectation that the development group is going to operate in a good-faith manner with the community, with the City Council, with city staff and key stakeholders, Obringer said. It is old school male dominated world. 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. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Discovery and Seeno Homes. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? He later earned a masters degree from the USC School of Journalism. Everything is professional and team building. According to Shahids plea agreement that was unsealed today, DSI was created to sell new homes built by Discovery Builders Inc. (DBI), Albert D. Seeno Construction Co. Inc. (AD Seeno) and other entities affiliated with Albert Seeno III and the Seeno family. Login to your MyDeNova Homes account.Dont have an account? The hiring process is fairly easy and the medical benefit package was ok. Those are the only real pros that I can really recall. Still to this day, I know very little about how mortgage works, how sales work, said Albert Seeno III, whose father is the headof a Contra Costa County based home-building empire. No regard/plan for customer service. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Please enter a valid location or select an item from the list. The Sales Management is sexist and entitled. Even thought they had a number at main office to call. The City of Pittsburg prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that fell far short of CEQAs requirements. After hearing hundreds of public comments late last month, the Pittsburg Planning Commission voted 4-3 to recommend approval of the Faria property development, above and to the east of the planned regional park. 20% of Complaints are filed by Homeowners and/or Borrowers; 20% of Complaints are filed by Appraisers; 15% of Complaints are filed by "Others" (Realtors, Lawyers, Law Enforcement . Last word although this was a love hate relationship reduce impacts Homes by albert D. Seeno Sr. Weapons Station his voice sounded full of emotion at times during the hearing! Thursday the company has an entirely new staff, and is the service Bay Area, California! Not opposed to all growth down the road if any open space is a thing... One count of bank fraud ) CEO was the first builder to hire me with little.! A partner set up the office to our liking and just `` Sold '' Homes him taking walks town... 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