Pinn Brothers plans 10 “executive homes” at Saratoga site

Pinn Brothers Fine Homes has purchased an 11.4-acre Saratoga lot it plans to develop into a new subdivision in the low-density hills southwest of San Jose, according to public records and loan documents.

Pinn Brothers paid $12.5 million for the parcel at 14521 Quito Road through Quito Oaks LLC, with leadership at the Saratoga-based residential developer signing an $11 million loan from Fremont Bank, also in January, according to loan documents.

Pinn Brothers had worked towards the development’s approval for about two years, according to an October letter that Vice President Greg Pinn, son of founder Alan Pinn, sent to the city’s Planning Commission. In it, he also said he lives minutes from the site and that he and COO Jeff Curran visited neighbors’ homes to “discuss site lines and privacy issues.” 

“Each and every neighbor will have my cell phone number should they want to discuss anything,” he added.

The 10-lot subdivision was approved at a November Planning Commission meeting, according to Saratoga Public Information Officer Lauren Blom. A one-third-acre portion of the site, located on the opposite side of Quito Road, will be dedicated to the city for open space as part of the approved plans, she said via email. 

According to a city report, each approximately 1-acre lot is permitted to have a single-family home with a floor area of about 6,000 square feet. The plans include the creation of a new private cul-de-sac providing access for seven parcels to Quito Road, while the remaining three parcels would access the development from Vessing Road. 

The Vessing houses in particular appeared to be an issue for long-time neighbors opposing the project, as they had used their own funds to update and widen the road 20 years ago, while the then-owner of the Quito Road property refused to pay for the improvements and actually sued the other owners to stop it, according to comments neighbors filed with the city. In his letter, Greg Pinn said the developer would pay remuneration to the owners in proportion to its frontage on Vessing, which “seems to be acceptable to the neighbors at this time.”

The parcel has been on and off the market since 2018, with prices ranging from $16 million to its most recent listing of $14 million. Christie’s International Real Estate agent Dottie Monroe has held the listing for several years, calling the hill view site “maybe one of the last pieces available to buy of this size” in her listing notes. She did not reply to a request for comment, but public records show that the seller was Maria Orlando-Hinz, widow of Lester Hinz Jr., who died in 2009, and daughter-in-law of Ethel Hinz, who died in 1992. 

According to court records, Ethel Hinz and her husband, Lester, bought the property around 1950 and built a five-bedroom, six-bathroom home with a pool and tennis court. The home remains, according to Saratoga city documents, and will be demolished under the approved plans for the site, which also has nearly 700 trees, according to an arborist count. Some of these, like its many Coast Live Oaks, are protected native species and many will remain, though the plans allow for the removal of 56 protected trees. 

Pinn Brothers did not reply to a request for comment on the timeline of the construction, but its website states the Saratoga development was in the “planning stages” for “10 executive homes on large, 1-acre lots which will feature the finest architecture and finishes Pinn Bros. has been known to deliver throughout our company history.” Blom said no demolition or construction has yet begun on the property. 

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