Private wildlife museum coming to county You have to know the builder to visit

By Chris Campos Staff Writer

BAY POINT Contra Costa County is gaining a new “wildlife museum.” It is being built without a dime of taxpayer money. But to get inside, you’ll have to be invited by the builder –. Albert Seeno Jr.

The private facility being completed along Highway 4 and highly visible from either direction will offer 90,000 square feet of space spread across a 6.3-acre lot. According to plans filed with the county, “The proposed private museum would consist of tenant improvements of the personal storage warehouse to include a museum lobby, a kitchen, a large multi-purpose room/dining room and a smaller multi-purpose room/dining room, with artifacts and taxidermy in the main warehouse storage area arranged by theme (e.g., African Savannah, North America).”

Among the other projected display areas are: African Jungle, African Mountain Game, Ice Age, Dinosaurs, Native American, Teepee, Expanded Plains, Yurt, Mine

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Exhibit, Asia, New Zealand and Europe.

Seeno Jr. has been known for years as a hunter. Once, he was sued by an exotic animal hunting ranch in Nevada. Also according to the Contra Costa Times: “Seeno Jr. and his family are seen in online photos and videos posing with animals they’ve shot and killed. In 1997, a columnist from this newspaper viewed the large game room at Seeno’s Clayton mansion, which housed an assortment of stuffed lions, tigers, bears and horned animals, including signs noting the exotic locations where they were shot. Ironi-

Despite broad support from local construction unions, Concord Council members Laura Nakamura and Carlyn Obringer joined Mayor Laura Hoffmeister in saying they didn’t trust Seeno to develop the sprawling expansion of Concord.

“We have a wonderful term sheet here. … But if you don’t want us, you’ve got to set us free,” Seeno III said at Saturday’s meeting.

Juan Pablo Galvan of Save Mount Diablo said Tuesday, “The Term Sheet put forward by Seeno and their partners was inadequate, and that their long record of litigation and controversy made them untrustworthy and unsuitable partners for the Concord Reuse Project. Save Mount Diablo was

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Construction continues in Bay Point on Albert Seeno Jr.’s “Western HeritageWildlife Museum” cally, the reporter was attending a Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation fundraiser hosted by the Seenos.”

Tuesday.

Calls to Albert Seeno Jr.’s office were not returned. There is no estimate in county plans of the construction cost of the facility, but with typical commercial construction costs running at least $200 per foot, the museum cost may top $20 million.

The architectural designs were submitted by LCA Architects in Walnut Creek.

The County Zoning Administrator noted, “The private museum use would not alter supportive of this project for more than a decade, but the decision in August 2021 to make Seeno and partners the master developer threatened to turn what could be a boon for this region into an utter disaster.”

The Concord Reuse Project entailed:

• Entire project area of 2,275 acres.

• 15,595 units of housing.

• 25% of the housing units will be affordable.

• 2.2 million square feet towards an Innovation District, supporting more than 5,000 new jobs.

• 2.3 million square feet towards a Campus District, supporting more than 6,000 new jobs.

• More than 940,000 square feet towards a Transit-Oriented Core District next to the North Concord BART

Council in June of that year according to the Sciortino Ranch Initial Study/Addendum. Construction began on the southeast corner of Brentwood Boulevard and Sand Creek Road last July on a new Panda Express restaurant, with Chipotle and Starbucks beginning construction in September. Denny’s is also planned for the area, but according to Ogden, an extension was requested prior to the beginning of construction.

The traffic signals at the intersection of Sand Creek Road and Brentwood Boulevard, as well as at Stoney Creek Drive and Sand Creek Road will handle the traffic that will increase with these additions.

“The overall project was first submitted as a preliminary review application in February 2020 for initial staff comments and the first design review applications were submitted in December 2020,” said Ogden. “The first building permit application was submitted in September 2021 for the Panda Express and permit applications for the other three buildings followed in November 2021.”

While there is no exact timetable for completion of this project, according to Ogden, this spring or summer would be a “fair” guess, with a later completion for the planned Denny’s restaurant due to its requested extension. Furthermore, Ogden stated that a Wendy’s is also being considered through the planning process, which, if approved, will also request a drive-through feature.

More information on the Sciortino Ranch project can be found at the following link at https://www.brentwoodca.gov/government/ community-development/planning/ceqa-documents

To comment, visit www.thepress.net the architecture of the warehouse structure and would allow the private museum components of the proposed tenant improvements, including the museum lobby, a kitchen, a large multi-purpose room/dining room and a smaller multi-purpose room/dining room. Although private viewing of the artifacts and taxidermy in the warehouse could occur without the proposed change in use as an ancillary activity of the personal storage warehouse, allowing the private museum use would provide the owner with flexibility in hosting museum activities without extensive use of third party.”

The plans call for construction of 135 parking stalls.

The builder also planned for the installation of art murals on the north, south, and west facades of the warehouse museum … The proposed art murals include a mural of Africa on the south façade, a mural of the Western frontier (Utah) on the north façade, and a mountain scene on the west façade, according to the county plans.

A county traffic report stated that use of the museum will not create more traffic during the afternoon or evening peak hours along Evora Road or Willow Pass Road. To comment, visit www.thepress.net station, supporting over 4,000 new jobs.

• 856.6 acres of the project area towards parks, recreation, and trails.

• 105 acres towards a new city-wide park.

• 69 acres and $100 million contribution towards a new tournament sports park.

• $65 million contribution towards a Campus District community center/library.

• 2 new fire stations.

• 40 acres dedicated towards new school facilities.

• Restoration of Mount Diablo Creek.

• 2,687 acres transferred to the East Bay Regional Park District to form the Thurgood Marshall Regional Park. To comment, visit www.thepress.net