Neighbors decry demolition of old Concord house

By Lisa P. White Contra Costa Times

Neighborhood residents, from left, Dorothy Cruse, Wayne Stribley and Julie Churchill watch as a house is demolished on Walnut Ave. in Concord, Calif. on Monday, May 5, 2014. Some residents are angry about the demolition itself, the way it was handled, and the looming prospect of residential development on the property. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group) ( Kristopher Skinner )

CONCORD -- A bulldozer made quick work Monday morning of a house believed to be more than 80 years old, razed to make way for a small subdivision -- to the chagrin of a group of neighbors.

The house, at 3319 Walnut Ave., belonged to the Humphrey family, for whom a nearby street is named. Discovery Builders, a branch of the Concord-based Seeno family home-building empire, plans to build the Copperleaf subdivision of 11 single-family houses on the 2.36-acre former walnut grove.

Discovery Builders applied for a zoning change on the property to create slightly smaller lots -- 7,500-square-feet instead of the required 10,000 square feet. The city approved the tentative map and zoning change for the project in July 2009, despite neighbors' concerns about drainage, lot size, site elevation and parking.

Neighborhood residents Julie Churchill, left, and Dorothy Cruse look over a flier opposing a the demolition of a house on Walnut Ave. in Concord, Calif. on Monday, May 5, 2014. Some residents are angry about the demolition itself, the way it was handled, and the looming prospect of residential development on the property. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group) ( Kristopher Skinner )

Although neighbors had believed otherwise, thanks to action taken at the state level, Discovery Builders wasn't required to go through the approval process again or pay any additional fees before beginning work on the project.

"There have been some legislative extensions of subdivision maps in acknowledgment of the recession and the impact that's had on the home-building industry," said Carol Johnson, Concord's planning manager.

Under the most recent state bill, Discovery Builders has an automatic extension until July 2015, according to Johnson. There isn't a time limit on the rezoning, she added.

Discovery Builders did not return a call seeking comment.

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Neighbors decry demolition of old Concord house