Fallon Gateway Target and Dublin Historic Park Updates
Fallon Gateway Target
The project developer has submitted a pre-application package for a general commercial project on the southwest corner of Fallon Road and Dublin Boulevard (adjacent to I-580). Target is waiting for the project developer to obtain all the necessary entitlements and to put the baseline infrastructure in place (e.g., storm water runoff mitigation channels) before signing the deal and moving forward with the construction of their store (which will likely be a Greatland Target). Target has also expressed interest in building campus office space for their corporate employees at this site.
Another milestone to make this project happen is for Pleasanton to take Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty up on his offer to pay for the Stoneridge Drive extension. Once the extension is completed, Dublin will be able to open up Dublin Boulevard in between Fallon Road and Lockhart Street.
Dublin Historic Park
The City of Dublin is making progress on the Historic Park (located on the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way). Our Parks and Community Services department is working to have the Kolb buildings prepped for the move to the Historic Park site. They’ve also been working on obtaining permits from about 6 or 7 different agencies. The activity this week involves the placement of utility lines and infrastructure.
Please feel free to contact the Dublin Parks and Community Services department at 925-833-6645 for more details regarding the Historic Park.
8:22 AM on February 11th, 2009
John, I was wondering if you knew if they are just moving dirt from grafton station to the promenade area to clear the site by Lowes, or are they going to start working on phase 1 of club sport. Even though the phase 1 promenade was approved, do they have any intention of starting?
11:58 AM on February 11th, 2009
after reading the link to the stoneridge drive discussion, it seems as though all this is relying on pleasanton extending stoneridge, which pleasanton is not really that intent on doing. However, a lot of the players are no longer involved in the situation. I think if we are getting our hopes up waiting for pleasanton, it will be a long time until dublin blvd gets extended.
12:48 PM on February 11th, 2009
I’d love to see a Target on this end of town and the Campus Office would be icing on the cake, bringing much needed office jobs to Dublin. On the other hand gosh wouldn’t it be much better to located it behind Lowes’ on the DiManto property? It would create a much better cohesive shopping district (Target, Grafton Station, Grafton Plaza, The Promenade, Waterford, Ulferts). This would create an Eastern Dublin Shopping District, Central would include Hacienda and The Green, Western would be Downtown. Three cohesive and distinctive shopping/retail/business districts.
We are creating a car required/dominated invironment. With Fallon Gateway, Grafton Street (Station, Plaza, Promenade), Ulferts, Hacienda, The Green on Park Place, Camp Parks, Tralee and Downtown. All are spread out, scattered, 300k there 300k here. One would have to crisscross town if they had any number of these various stores on their list to visit.
I would be nice if we could have one or two ro even three true retail/shopping/entertainment/business districts. Much like the Spectrum down in Irvine where one can see a Movie, go to a comedy club, shop Target or Nordstrom, or stroll a main street like outdoor shopping center, eat at the Fox Sports Cafe or Cheesecake Factory, have their kids ride a carousel or ferris wheel. Once you are there, a car is not needed. All this surrounded by thousand of Class A Office buildings with thousands of workers within walking distance. Throw in thousands of single family and executive homes just across the freeway. Now that is a shopping/retail/entertainment/business district with a built in customer base that will also draw from afar, bringing much needed revenue to the host City.
1:05 PM on February 11th, 2009
A second Target on the East side would be wonderful and important to Dublin. It will help keep needed sales tax dollars in Dublin. Otherwise if the Eastern Target is placed on Staple Ranch in Pleasanton. We would lose so much in tax revenues as not only will Pleasanton residents shop at their new store, they will stop shopping at our downtown Target as they do today. Eastern Dubliners will do the same for geographic reasons, reluctantly spending in Pleasanton instead.
1:14 PM on February 11th, 2009
A Target in Staple Ranch will mean Pleasanton gets all the sales tax revenue, while Dublin and Pleasanton both bear the cost in terms of higher traffic volume. I am not a fan of Target, but if they are coming, I’d rather see Target in Dublin than the other side of I-580.
Kate S.
1:39 PM on February 11th, 2009
placing a Target anchored center behind Lowe’s does make sense but the land is not currently owned by Charter Properties or the Lin Family. Maybe they can purchase it since DiManto has it up for sale after Whole Foods decided to go with Blake Hunt instead.
The Fallon Gateway parcel could be left for Campus Office with Target Regional Offices as the Anchor to Compliment Kaiser if they ever decide to or have any intention of building a hospital there. A cluster of Class A Offices from Fallon to Grafton Plaza would go a long ways of rounding and balancing out the mix of residential, retail and high paying jobs in Dublin Ranch. The Promenade, Grafton Station and Tassarjara Gateway (Target) would have a round the clock customer base. All within walking distance.
1:41 PM on February 11th, 2009
I agree with the Staple Ranch scenario, it would not be good for Dublin.
2:12 PM on February 11th, 2009
Since we are talking Pleasanton. Did anyone see the article about Sybase and John Chen in the San Francisco Business Times (formerly East Bay Business Times)? It is such a slap in the face as the article touted Sybase as Pleasanton Based. What an insult. Much like all the car dealers in the city of Newark are called Fremont Ford, Saturn of Fremont etc.. and even the Hilton there had always been known as the Fremont Hilton even when they are all located in Newark. I hope Dublin does not get railroaded down that same inferiority path.
I’ve written to the Times regarding this slight, I recruit all to do the same.
It is a small error but it could eventually lead to Newarkville, aka the stepchild in the Tri City area. We cannot allow the same here.
3:28 PM on February 11th, 2009
They make sure to mention “Dublin” when the mention the jail
3:33 PM on February 11th, 2009
Yes, even when the crime is committed elsewhere. The jail is a huge barrier to our public image as a city.
5:57 PM on February 11th, 2009
I’d have to agree with that. When out of town visitor come to visit us in Dublin Ranch and have to drive down Tassajara heading North I always hope that they don’t see the two large signs that points to Santa Rita Jail. One at the eastbound 580 off ramp and one larger one on the median next to Emerald Glen. Can’t we have those signs removed? I mean any law enforcement officers going there would know where it is without these signs, the criminals that go there are driven there by these same officers. Do we really need these large signs? It is bad enough to here Dublin all the time in the new related to convicts but at least not all people watch the news. But friends driving to our home to visit will for sure see these signs.
Maybe at least change to sign to say County Facilities instead of bluntly Santa Rita JAIL.
6:04 PM on February 11th, 2009
The elements locked up in Santa Rita is one problem, at least they are locked up until parole when they are dumped at Hacienda Crossings to beg for money or mug someone for the same. A bigger problem is we are attracting more and more of them with our unexplained thirst for High Density Housing and the BMRs to go with it. Now they aren’t even locked up but instead walking our streets.
Inclusionary is good for Dublin? If there was a way to only allow them for Teachers, Firemans, Policemans and Public Employees of the City of Dublin and only that of the City of Dublin than it is good, I support it. We should not though feel the need to provide a Jail already (not to mention the other 2 Federal Correctional facilities in Dublin) and add to that by also providing thousands of low cost housing for the entire have nots of the East Bay and beyond.
Sorry to be off topic regarding the potential Target. Just needed to get it off my chest.
8:21 PM on February 11th, 2009
Hi Anonymous on February 11, 2009 7:22 AM – I’ll check on the status of the Promenade and Grafton Station Phase 3 work. Presumably, work has started on at least the Promenade since the City gave it’s final blessing on Phase I a few weeks ago…hopefully it’s not just wishful thinking!
Thx, John Z.
8:27 PM on February 11th, 2009
Hi Anonymous on February 11, 2009 10:58 AM – you bring up a good point about Pleasanton’s collective reluctance to extend Stoneridge Drive. Pleasanton’s City Council is expected to make a decision at their next meeting on 2/24 as part of their Stoneridge Drive Specific Plan finalization.
There seems to be enough political and civic pressure to extend Stoneridge Drive at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised if their Council votes to include the extension in the Specific Plan.
With that said, if Pleasanton doesn’t vote to extend Stoneridge, then Dublin may need to think about another way to the accommodate the Fallon Gateway center so that customers can enter/exit the parking lot.
Thx, John Z.
8:29 AM on February 12th, 2009
Hi Anonymous on February 11, 2009 1:12 PM – thank you for reaching out to the Times regarding their slight of Dublin. It is important for us to do as much as possible to re-brand Dublin as a premier city.
Thx, John Z.
10:36 AM on February 12th, 2009
I agree with one the note that says Maybe ” County Facilities” instead of Santa Rita Jail… and think of all the nice people visiting our lovely inmates…. driving through the area all the time….. ewwwhhhh … lol does it bring in alot of tax dollars or cost us alot of tax dollars…
11:01 AM on February 12th, 2009
The jail is something that no one wants in their city, but it is something that is a requirement of a metro area.. To be honest, I’d rather have the jail instead of the waste treatment plant that is in Pleasanton. True, you can say that the two entities deal with similar filth, but at least our jail is hidden with the high berms of dirt.
There is for sure a valid argument that the Jail deters people from moving to Dublin. There is a beautiful townhouse in our neighborhood which is back on the market after the original buyer who made an offer last month got scared of being near the jail (and they pulled out the the deal). I was surprised as I never really think about the jail..
The one worry I have is watching the released inmates walking that back road from the jail out towards Dublin Blvd. I worry that it’s a criminal parade there, next to the Sybase campus. Also, I too notice police action near the shell at Hacienda..
I wonder too how the BART apartments/condos will fare. Will people living there have to deal with thugs and thug family members using Dublin station as a connecting point to the jail? Will those same thugs be attracted to living in the apartments there so they can visit their friends/family in jail easier while using BMR or Section 8 housing vouchers/programs? I do notice more thug-looking people in our malls, stores, parks and streets and yes, i mean thugs of ALL races, including white-trash thugs, thugs wearing gold chains and black satin do-rags trying to look hard, old beat up cars with no hubcaps rolling through stop signs and speeding down residential streets, etc..
At the very least, I’d love to see our city council discuss this topic at the next meeting.. Could new signs be placed that say “County Facitities” or “Santa Rita Correctional Facilities” or something other than “Jail”….
1:09 PM on February 12th, 2009
I agree with the signage change as the jail is here to stay, unfortunately. At least soften the blow a little bit for the honest hard working law abiding residents living along Tassajara.
I believe that there should also be a rule in which when inmates are released, they are driven back and dumped off in the community which they originated from. Why should Dublin be burdened any further with the dumping of released inmates and having them roam our streets. We already carry the burden of having the facility here in the first place. They either roam the streets begging for money or call their fellow thug friends to come pick them up. While they are here picking up their fellow thug why not stroll the shops at Hacienda staring down the decent Americans, picking up a few free items at Old Navy etc… My neighbor told me the other day she was startled by a thug looking male in the parking lot of babies R’us, coming out of nowhere pounding on her window asking for money for BART. I’m sure he just got released with just the clothes on his back. How is that for our image if it were to happen to an out of towner looking to open a business or buy a home in Dublin?
If it costs too much to bus each inmate back to their town of origination. At least drive them directly to the BART station, buy them a ONE way ticket and make sure they get on and never come back. Have the windows of the county transfer vehicle blacked out from the inside so they cannot see all the potential BMR apartments in which to come back and live in with section 8 vouchers.
John, can we have a topic on Santa Rita to discuss this issue of signage and dumping of released inmates. Possibly get the attention of our leaders to help with this? This will go a long ways in enhancing the city’s image.
Right now we are the land of inmates, county and federal. The land of High Density and BMRs and Fast Food and many many strip malls.
1:14 PM on February 12th, 2009
yeah, imagine thugs of rival gangs who happens to be picking up fellow released thugs at Hacienda Crossings at the same time. We’d be in for a very ugly and highly publicized incident with innocent bystanders hurt or killed as they duke it out on our streets.
1:19 PM on February 12th, 2009
Yes I’ve seen more thugs walking our streets and shopping centers the past couple of years. Of course of all races. Not sure if they are just visiting or are actually living in our BMR units. Elan as decent as it looks for a High Density Hog of a Building is having trouble selling. It makes me wonder as they have a nice product, aggressively priced next to transportation but still cannot sell. People know!! I have a couple of fellow workers who opted for condos at the villages over Elan for that reason. They did not feel it would be a safe environment once built out with all the BMRs etc.. Little they know though the Grove is right next to the Villages.
1:33 PM on February 12th, 2009
Back in 04 or 05 KNTV 11 did a series of segments of “your hometown”. They visited different cities and regions of the Bay Area and just had a nice highlight of the subject region. One of the region they visited was the Tri-Valley. Day one they went to Livermore and showed the new downtown, performing arts theater and the wineries. Second day they went to Pleasanton and talked about their quaint downtown,executive homes in Ruby Hills, fortune 500 companies and Stoneridge Mall. Third day it was San Ramon and how affluent they are and Chevron, SBC etc.. and the fourth we thought finally to Dublin as we had so much to boast as we were in rapid growth mode. No to our dismay and shock they skipped Dublin and did Castro Valley as part of the Tri Valley series. Never once mentioning Dublin throughout the four day series of the Tri Valley as if we did not exist. Funny thing was at closing, Allen Denton who hosted the series was standing in the Parking lot of Hacienda Crossings, summarizing his visit to the Tri Valley cities of Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Castro Valley?. I wrote to Allen Denton and the producer of the 6 O’Clock news with no response. They probably still to today thought I was cookoo as Dublin is in Ohio and Ireland, not CA!! I guess Dublin is just that empty hole in the middle of a bagel or donut.
They don’t seem though to have a problem knowing where Dublin is when it comes to news at Santa Rita Jail.
1:47 PM on February 12th, 2009
We need a landmark of some sorts near 580/680 interchange.. something that is recognizable, large enough to see from either freeway and will attract many people to turn off the freeway– (saying Hooters fits this bill already, while funny and immature, is not what I’m going for…
PS: I’d recommend this topic be on the Dublin Townhall page instead, if John wants to post– I think DTH is more issues/problems/concerns/political site and Around Dublin is more positive promotion of Dublin–
2:34 PM on February 12th, 2009
yeah you are right, lets get back to the possitive of Target in East Dublin. It would be nice but odd to see three power centers of 300k sf to 400k sf just a couple of miles apart from each other but not quite together (Hacienda Crossings to Fallon Gateway). This is not to mention Downtown’s own cluster of big box and another 300K sf at The Green on Park Place. It would be have much nicer and greener had city planners thought of one center of 1.5mm square feet in one shopping center or district. Eliminates the need to crisscross town with our cars as we are required to do today.
Dublin touts being green but our development practices are nothing but, we are too car centric. Thirst for High Density Housing away from Mass Transit and the many car intensive strip malls spread throughout the city.
2:39 PM on February 12th, 2009
Hi Anonymous on February 12, 2009 12:09 PM and 1:34 PM – I agree that the prison release policy and practice is something that Dublin residents should have more visibility or understanding about. I’m not all that certain how the practice of releasing former prisoners works…but agree it would be a fantastic article and topic for discussion on Dublin Townhall.
Thx, John Z.
2:43 PM on February 12th, 2009
What is the dependency of Stoneridge Drive extension approval to extension of Dublin Blvd between Lockhart and Fallon? Are they both part of a greater group of projects with a single pool of funds that needs to be approved for them to happen? Or is it a logistical issue….any enlightenment on this topic would be appreciated.
Michael Farrell
2:49 PM on February 12th, 2009
Hi Michael – the City of Dublin does not want to open Dublin Boulevard until the Stoneridge Drive extension is completed so that the burden of cut-through traffic can be minimized. It is better to have two streets sharing the burden then to have all the cut-through traffic impact Dublin Boulevard.
Thx, John Z.
5:16 PM on February 12th, 2009
Dublin is willing to share the burden of cut through traffic side by side with Pleasanton. With Dublin Blvd. and Stoneridge Drive. Pleasanton though on the otherhand does not want cut through traffic in any arrangements. They do not want to take their fare share of being part of the solution regarding the region’s traffic flow. All at the same time they have one of the largest office park (Hacienda) in CA and are poised to develop Staple Ranch in which the only access going east is congested 580 or Dublin Blvd if extended. Currently it is 580 and Gleason. To me it is selfish and irresponsible.
I agree with the City holding up Dublin Blvd.’s extension for this reason. It is really up to the County as a responsbile land owner to hold up any development of Staple Ranch as ransom for exchange of the eventual extension of Stoneridge Drive.
Yes this could hold up Target, but hey move it to the DiManto Property on Tassajara and problem solved. Lets see who blinks first, Plesanton or Dublin on this extension issue.
No extension, no Staple Ranch. Hey maybe Dublin can Annex that area instead and leave it as open space or place all remaining BMRs there to satisfy our quota. BMRs would go well with the Discount Outlet mall planned next door in Livermore. Another item Plesanton has been trying to skirt, building their share of BMRs.
Not a good partner in the Tri Valley. So if they ever complain again that Dublin is not a good neighbor because our developments are too loud, too bright, too big for the area we can tell them to get lost and look in the mirror. They are not such a good partner themselves.
5:31 PM on February 13th, 2009
Well hopefully something can be worked out as this project is a great opportunity for Dublin to increase and preserve sales tax dollars along with bringing some much needed corporate jobs to the area. It would be even better if they can swing a small gourmet grocery store to co-anchor the center. TJs or Fresh and Easy.
9:54 AM on February 16th, 2009
What is a “BMR”?
11:16 AM on February 16th, 2009
Below Market, low and very low income subsized housing, both for rent and for sale.