One of the hottest topics of conversation in Dublin right now involves the Blake Hunt Ventures project The Green on Park Place and the land that was recently purchased right next to “The Green”. Here’s what we know so far regarding “The Green”:

• It will be a 27 acre 300,000 sq. ft. “lifestyle center” filled with medium to high-end retail shops and restaurants.
• Whole Foods will provide the anchor for the new center backing up to Hacienda Drive.
• There will be pedestrian-friendly walkways and a main street.
• It is located next to the East Dublin BART station and transit village.
• The project should begin in 2008 and is expected to be completed by 2010.

Blake Hunt just recently announced that they will forge ahead with this ambitious project even though the local and national economy has hit a bit of a rough patch. This is a sure sign that there has been a great deal of interest in “The Green” by prospective retailers and restaurateurs.

As a measure of Blake Hunt’s optimism in Dublin and this particular location, they also just recently purchased 35.7 of additional acreage between Dublin Boulevard and Interstate 580 stretching from Hacienda Drive west to Iron Horse Parkway. The total cost for this swath of land and the related infrastructure improvements will be roughly $90M. This project is expected to be comprised of mostly campus office space with some limited retail and residential sprinkled in.

Please keep checking back for more details.