Council May Re-Address Benicia Business Park Plans

Benicia Councilmembers may take another look at the proposed Benicia Business Park project that was previously terminated by the applicant, West Coast Home Builders.

Owned by the Seeno family, West Coast Home Builders originally hoped to turn the 530-acre space in northeast Benicia into a business office park. Now, they’re hoping to turn it into primarily residential, according to a letter last month from Louis Parons, senior vice president of West Coast Home Builders to Benicia City Councilmembers.

“In light of the incredibly high and perpetual vacancy rate within the existing Benicia Industrial Park, we think it is a speculative and imprudent use of land to propose and develop more industrial property considering the industrial land currently available,” Parsons wrote. “The existing Benicia Industrial Park is underutilized, needs improvements and does not need competition.”

Parsons goes on to state that the revised proposed plan for the space would “bring substantial tax revenue to the City and would have its own assessment districts to cover the costs of police and fire services as well as its own lighting and landscape district to cover all landscape maintenance costs.”

At the May 21 meeting, Benicia Councilwoman Christina Strawbridge plans to request councilmembers revisit the project.

“I feel this would be an opportune time to bring the full Council up to date with the prior project agreement and discuss what steps if any should be taken moving forward,” she wrote.

Staff recommends councilmembers put this discussion on the agenda at a future council meeting, according to city documents.

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