West Coast Home Builders, Inc., a development company owned by the Seeno family, and the Brentwood Union School District have entered into an agreement that opens the door for the district to acquire a prime piece of Bay Area real estate, well below market value, for the construction of a new elementary school.
>School district staff recommended approval of the agreement, and the school board members unanimously approved the agreement on Aug. 19.
The Brentwood Union School District has been trying for years to find suitable land to build a much-needed elementary school to help relieve overcrowding at some of its elementary schools and accommodate future growth in the district. The agreement between West Coast Home Builders and the district is a significant step forward and an important opportunity toward making this new elementary school a reality.
In 2016, Brentwood voters passed Measure B, a school bond measure that will fund much of the proposed elementary school construction costs. School construction costs have skyrocketed in California, so building a new school is very difficult for districts without some form of subsidy. In this case, West Coast Home Builders will be subsidizing the cost of the land, which is critical to making a new elementary school a reality.
The 11.35-acre school site is located within the proposed Bridle Gate community, west of the Highway 4 Bypass and south of Sand Creek Road in Brentwood.
The developer says in a news release that an appraiser will value the school site land as agricultural rather than residential. Residential land values are substantially higher than agricultural land values. “This essentially means the district will be paying pennies on the dollar for the land,” the statement says. “This is a true partnership between a growing school district and a longtime community builder, who is committed to supporting local schools and children.”
The sale of this land to the district is contingent on West Coast Home Builders receiving the necessary environmental and project approvals from the Brentwood City Council for the Bridle Gate project. West Coast Home Builders has included this school site in its proposed development plan, and the city has included this school site in its environmental analysis of the housing project.
