The Promenade – Dublin’s Santana Row
There’s been quite a bit of buzz about the Promenade – when will it be built, where will it be located, which stores and restaurants are signed up, what will it look like, etc.
Let’s start with the easy questions – what will it look like: from the Promenade’s website, the developer (Charter Properties) says that it will have 230,000 square feet of fine retail, restaurants, entertainment (possibly concerts in the middle of the Promenade), and office space. The office space piece would most likely be on the second level above the restaurants and stores. This would be a contrast to Santana Row in San Jose and Bay Street in Emeryville which have hotels, apartments, and condos nested above the retail and restaurants. The Promenade will be located within the Dublin Ranch Villages in between the Cottages/Villas and the Courtyards/Terraces (between Dublin Blvd. and Central Parkway).
Clearly there is interest in this type of project in other cities. Local examples include Santana Row, Bay Street, and the soon to be developed upscale shopping mall in Brentwood (Click This Link).
To date, all of the interest has been in the smaller retail shops. One estimate pegs the level of interest at 20% of the available retail/restaurant space. The big question isn’t will the Promenade be developed, it’s when will it be developed.In order for the developer to begin construction, they need to see interest in the larger anchor stores (e.g., Barnes and Noble at Santana Row). The build-out of Grafton Station should spark interest in the Promenade from retailers and restaurateurs. The estimated completion date for the Lowe’s is Q108 and the rest of the Station should be built-out by 2009. Based on this timeline, we could conceivably see construction begin on the Promenade by late 2009 or 2010.
