The proposed Faria project, if it goes forward, would destroy part of the major ridgeline between Pittsburg and Concord.
Now there is a real danger that 1,500 houses on more than 600 acres atop Pittsburg’s scenic ridge overlooking Concord will
- gut the Pittsburg General Plan,
- ignore Measure P standards approved by the voters in 2005,
- degrade the new Thurgood Marshall Regional Park,
- harm views of the beautiful hills from both the Pittsburg and Concord sides of the ridge, and
- make accessing the park more difficult than it could have been for Pittsburg residents.
This project must be changed to Save the Ridge and reduce negative impacts to both Pittsburg and Concord. It’s not too late!
Pittsburg City Council Approves Faria Project Again
On April 17, the Pittsburg City Council—Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston, and Councilmembers Jelani Killings, Dionne Adams, and Angelica Lopez—approved Seeno/Discovery Builders’ 1,500-unit Faria project.
They ignored thousands of residents asking them to save the ridge. They ignored the City of Concord asking them to adjust the project so it wouldn’t be visible from Concord.
When Save Mount Diablo asked for just 45 days in which to negotiate to make the project less damaging—the Pittsburg City Council refused.
They would not even allow a small amount of time that could have greatly reduced the project’s impacts on Pittsburg’s hills and views into Concord.
Site of the proposed Faria project. Photo by Cooper Ogden
Nearly the same city council—Mayor Merl Craft, Holland Barrett White, Shanelle Scales-Preston, Juan Antonio Banales, and Jelani Killings—previously approved the project in February 2021.
Save Mount Diablo challenged the approval legally and won in February 2022, and again in April 2022. But the City of Pittsburg and Seeno didn’t learn a single lesson from the experience.
The city made some minor changes to environmental documents and brought nearly the same project back for approval this spring in February 2023. They were shocked when the Pittsburg Planning Commission recommended turning down the project.
Both Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston and Councilmember Jelani Killings have twice now voted to gut Pittsburg’s General Plan and ignore Measure P, which would protect the ridge.
They gave Seeno companies exactly what they wanted while ignoring thousands of Pittsburg residents who have spoken out against this project over the years.
New Councilmember Angelica Lopez commented that one of the reasons she was voting in favor of the project was that opposition to Faria seemed to come from outside Pittsburg, whereas those from the city wanted the project.
This is puzzling because the majority of hundreds of messages asking the council to Save the Ridge and not approve Faria were from Pittsburg residents.
This doesn’t even include the 2,200 petition signers that asked the council to Save the Ridge, or the hundreds of Pittsburg residents that asked the council to not approve the project the first time it came before them.
Stunningly, new Councilmember Dionne Adams did not make a single comment or ask a single question before she voted to approve Seeno’s Faria project.
Vice Mayor Juan Antonio Banales recused himself from the decision because he lives near the project site, though he did vote in favor of the project before.
What we asked the council for on April 17 was simple: allow 45 days for negotiations on a compromise to be worked out that protected views and the top of Pittsburg’s ridge but still allowed most of the project.
Left to right: Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston, Vice Mayor Juan Antonio Banales, Councilmember Jelani Killings, Councilmember Dionne Adams, and Councilmember Angelica Lopez. Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston, and Councilmembers Jelani Killings, Dionne Adams, and Angelica Lopez, just approved Seeno’s Faria project despite thousands of public comments asking them to save the ridge.
The Pittsburg City Council was not interested in allowing what hundreds, maybe thousands, of Pittsburg residents said they wanted and deserved.
On February 14, the Pittsburg Planning Commission had voted four-to-one against the Faria project. But the Pittsburg City Council chose to disregard their recommendation.
We thank the majority of Planning Commissioners for their thoughtful questions, desire for compromise, and willingness to stand on the side of Pittsburg residents.
This project must be changed to Save the Ridge and reduce negative impacts to both Pittsburg and Concord. It’s not too late!
