Developer Ready To Start Building Homes On Old Fitzpatrick Property

It's taken awhile. but construction is expected to start early next year on five new homes on the property where car dealership magnate Jerry Fitzpatrick once had his estate.

The five homes will be 3,200 to 4,000 square feet and sit on lots between a quarter acre and a third of an acre.

Mark Scott, president of Mark Scott Construction, said he expects his company to start building the homes by next spring. He hopes to have them finished by mid-summer.

Scott didn't say how much the homes might cost, but he noted there is a scarcity of new homes in eastern Walnut Creek, so they might go for a premium price.

"The setting is spectacular. It's a great location," said Scott.

The Fitzpatrick home sat for decades on the 2.3-acre parcel on Oak Grove Road between the Encina Grande Shopping Center and Northgate High School.

FitzPatrick was born in Michigan. His father, Frank, ran the General Motors Assembly Plant.

The family moved to Oakland in the 1930s and in 1948 Fitzpatrick and his father started Fitzpatrick Chevrolet in Concord.

Fitzpatrick ran the dealership until he died in 2008 at the age of 89.

The property was purchased and the Walnut Creek home was torn down in 2009.

Since then, the land has sat vacant, fenced in with signs telling passers-by that five new homes would be coming soon.

Scott said his company has been busy on the property. They've graded the site and put in all the underground pipes and utilities.

"There's been a lot of work done there," he said.

Scott has also beenn waiting for the financing and housing markets to improve.

"The lots are ready to go. We'll be building in the spring," he said.