County OKs eight homes on Laurel Drive

Another remnant of Contra Costa County’s rural past will be bulldozed and transformed into an eight-house subdivision, with gleaming, single-story homes going for $1 million apiece.

The 3.6-acre parcel at 5175 Laurel Dr. near Concord dates back to 1912, when Ayers Ranch was established. Pamela Harrell is the current owner of the property.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Oct. 22 to approve the development. District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg was absent.

According to Lenox Homes president Daniel Freeman, construction of the upscale development is slated to begin in spring 2020. Lots will range from 15,000 sq. ft. to 18,000 sq. ft.

“We love the Ayers Ranch area,” Freeman said in reference to its previous developments in the area. “People sought us out for the Laurel Ranch IV subdivision.”

Freeman said Lenox Homes will pay $52,800.48 to fulfill the county’s affordable housing requirements established in the county’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO). Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, whose District 4 includes the project site, lauded the developer’s payment to the IHO fund.

“Building affordable housing is very expensive, and I don’t believe it would have been fiscally viable for the developer to develop the site with affordable housing,” she said. “By paying the in-lieu fees, the county can use those funds to assist in developing housing in sites where more units can be constructed.”

The development includes an annexation request to extend wastewater services to the site from the city of Concord.
No one spoke either in opposition or in favor of the development at the supervisors’ meeting. However, Michele Iseri, who lives next door at 9902 Malu Lane, questioned the practicality of developing the Laurel Drive property into eight parcels. Iseri thinks four parcels would be more appropriate.

“This area of Concord is very rural and continues to have large lots,” Iseri wrote in a July 2 letter to the county Department of Conservation and Development. “I would be very disappointed to see large scale (8 homes, small lots) added to this community. I hope my wishes can be considered and the neighbors could possibly build a much smaller, more intimate community of 4 homes, all single story as to not ruin the aesthetics of the area. If the people want to live in tract homes, there are many other parts of the city.”

Justin Rhodes, who has lived across the street from the site for 40 years, is “on the fence” about the development. “I’m for the improvements, and my property values will go up as will my taxes, especially when the city annexes the land across the street.”