Concord picks developer for huge project

The Concord City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to hire Lennar Urban to develop a portion of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, despite objections from several residents that the process had been unfair and that the company is untrustworthy.

At stake are 500 acres of 2,200 to be developed over 30 years in what could become a $6 billion housing, commercial and recreational series of projects — though only the first phase has been awarded to Lennar.

The three council members present — Dan Helix, Edi Birsan and Mayor Laura Hoffmeister — said they supported Lennar because it had improved its proposal with greater financial protection and more affordable housing units.

In February, an independent investigator determined that associates of Lennar had improperly funneled nearly $17,000 into Councilman Tim Grayson’s campaign for state Assembly.

The investigator had also found that Concord officials had conducted an illegal private meeting during which they suppressed a city report recommending Catellus.

On Wednesday, however, advocates for affordable housing applauded the Lennar project, which would add $40 million in affordable housing subsidies.