30 Oct Antioch to Reconsider Opposition to Housing Project

(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Antioch council members said no to one of two housing projects they tried to scrap last month, despite warnings about the rejection’s legality from the developer. But the decision isn’t final. 

Council members opted to reconsider their vote against the Wildflower Station Townhomes 2 project next week, once they have all members in attendance and in hopes of getting a different result than Tuesday’s. 

The vote, which was preceded by the approval of the Slatten Ranch project, comes after officials and the public raised concerns around economic development and, last month, DeNova Homes’ connection to an alleged bribery scheme. 

The Wildflower Station Townhomes 2 project, near Dear Valley Road on Hillcrest Avenue, is a piece of the Wildflower Station project that initially included single-family homes and a commercial space. The commercial part of the project has not been developed. 

Council members Don Freitas and Monica Wilson opposed the project, with Wilson saying it was “unfortunate” that the commercial piece of the project was no longer included. 

In 2023, the site was rezoned for residential during the city’s housing element update, according to Planning Manager Zoe Merideth. 

Discussion on the project was also slim when council members first discussed it at the Sept. 23 meeting, with Freitas being the first to raise concerns over the impact SB 330 was beginning to have on development in the city. 

The two projects were submitted by DeNova to the city under the law, which attempts to speed up residential developments by removing barriers in zoning laws. 

Dan Golub, a lawyer who represents DeNova, warned the city at the September meeting that it would be “unambiguously unlawful” to reject the project. 

Golub told council members ahead of their vote that DeNova was willing to make changes as they arise through the process, including a request to fence and gate the property. 

“It’s not an objective standard, but I hope it shows that it doesn’t mean we’re not willing to consider those types of concerns as they come up,” said Golub. 

Community members previously raised concerns over the public perception of DeNova, whose former CEO and vice president were allegedly involved in a scheme to bribe a City Council member. 

Council member Tamisha Torres-Walker, who was not present at Tuesday’s vote, would be the tie-breaking vote if it were to later pass. But it’s unclear if she would give the City Council the vote it needs to approve the project. 

At the Sept. 23 meeting, Torres-Walker said she was in support of postponing the project because she doesn’t “support projects that are not affordable anyway.” 

The City Council will reconsider the project at the Nov. 4 meeting.