10 Nov Not A ‘Battle’ Antioch Wants: Second Controversial Housing Project Gets Council Greenlight

“I do not see this as a battle that I’m going to vote for us to fight,” said Mayor Ron Bernal as Antioch City Council reluctantly approved a housing development. “I’m not happy about [state law and the project], but I don’t see any way around it.” (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Antioch City Council members approved the last of two housing projects to fend off the threat of being sued, but they’re not happy about it.

Officials on Tuesday made the decision while reconsidering their opposition to the Wildflower Station Townhomes 2 project from DeNova Homes, citing continued frustrations with a loss of potential economic development and being bound by state law.

“I do not see this as a battle that I’m going to vote for us to fight,” said Mayor Ron Bernal. “I’m not happy about [state law and the project], but I don’t see any way around it.”

Submitted under SB 330, the project met all the requirements it needed for approval, according to the corresponding staff reports. Rejecting the project would mean the city would be sued, according to a letter from the California Department of Housing and Development that Bernal said it received.

In a 3-1-1 vote, council member Monica Wilson flipped her vote from last week to approve the project. Bernal and Mayor Pro Tem Louie Rocha also voted in support.

“It’s just unfortunate that we’re going to have to deal with this project because the state supports them, but my frustrations are still there due to the fact that we were presented with one thing originally, and we’re getting something else,” said Wilson.

DeNova Homes initially proposed a mixed-use development that included commercial and residential before switching to solely residential. In 2023, the site was rezoned as residential while officials updated the housing element.

Andrew Becker said the city update was not aligned with what the community wanted and had raised concerns during the process.

“How do you say you don’t want to see this as residential, but then you were part of the process in rezoning those properties?” Becker asked Wilson.

Becker said the additional meeting was a waste of time for staff and DeNova because it should have been approved at the first meeting.

“The developer did exactly what you, as a city, told them to do. If you don’t like it, you need to look inwards,” said Becker. 

Council member Don Freitas remained the project’s biggest opponent on the council.

“There have to be people like myself and others who say, ‘Yes, I understand the law, but the law is broken,’ ” said Freitas. 

Located by Wildflower Drive and Hillcrest Avenue, the project’s area was imagined as “a hub” for East Contra Costa decades ago, which is still seen that way, according to Freitas. Now, it’s being “ripped away.” 

Council member Tamisha Torres-Walker, who was absent from the previous meeting and ultimately abstained, shared similar concerns about economic development and mixed-use developments. But she agreed that some of the blame was on the city, she said. 

“It is important to take some responsibility for not understanding the full scope of what we were doing at that time and what we expected versus what we have now,” said Torres-Walker. 

Other residents’ concerns with the project focused more on DeNova Homes’ former leaders, David and Trent Sanson, who were charged in an alleged bribery scheme that involved an Antioch council member. 

“I didn’t appreciate them basically coming here and bullying Antioch,” said Leslie May, suggesting residents could block the development with a lawsuit. “We don’t want [alleged] criminals building here.”