Uncertain Future for The Green on Park Place
Whole Foods recently dropped Dublin, CA, along with many other cities from its list of stores in development. While the reason for this unexpected shift in strategy has not been shared with the public, the potential loss of Whole Foods as an anchor has clouded the future of The Green on Park Place. Securing the financing for the first phase of this ambitious project has been a challenge for Blake Hunt, the developer of The Green on Park Place. Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti remains confident that The Green on Park Place will be successful once financing becomes available. In the meantime, the City is working hard to make sure Whole Foods comes to Dublin. Part of that effort may include establishing a relationship with Matt Holmes, Whole Foods’ real estate broker in Northern California, such that a direct line exists for future communications.
Even if Whole Foods no longer sees The Green on Park Place as a viable option, Dublin still has other locations that may appeal to Whole Foods. Potential alternatives include the DiManto property along Tassajara Road and Fallon Gateway. Building on one of the DiManto parcels is highly unlikely, because the property owner is notorious for being inflexible in negotiations. Fallon Gateway may become the more desirable location, because this plaza will be close to the future Staples Center in Pleasanton and an outlet mall on El Charro Road in Livermore. If Fallon Gateway can acquire both Target and Whole Foods as anchors, Dublin may have a plaza very similar to the wildly successful Shops at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon.
Should Whole Foods abandon the Green on Park Place, Blake Hunt still has options:
- Find Another Anchor Similar to Whole Foods – This option will allow Blake Hunt to preserve the same concept at The Green on Park Place. One such grocer could be Henry’s Farmers Market.
- Change Project Concept – One proposal may turn The Green on Park Place into an affordable luxury power center that features factory outlet stores like Nordstrom Rack.
- Sell Part or All of the Project – Blake Hunt acquired half of the land for The Green on Park Place from IKEA in 2006 when the discount furniture retailer decided not to build a new store in Dublin. Unlike some other local developers, Blake Hunt and their financier Stockbridge Partners are fairly well capitalized. While their stronger financial position means they would not have to offer The Green on Park Place at a fire sale price, Blake Hunt may be forced to sell part or all of the parcel to other developers, if their investors become impatient or skittish about the commercial real estate market. Shedding the former IKEA parcel may allow Blake Hunt to go forward with a scaled back version of the Green on Park Place.
Blake Hunt could not be reached for comment.
8:31 AM on January 19th, 2010
ooh. Henry’s. I like Henry’s better than whole foods. please don’t make it “affordable” luxury….
9:05 AM on January 19th, 2010
I totally agreed. No affordable luxury in the neighborhood. Henry is a good option. My other favorite would be Endronico, even a Trader’s ‘Flagship’ store will not be bad. The key is not to compromise for the anchor store, since it will affect the mix of the store and crowd. My property value has already been negatively affected by the recession, excessive amount of affordable housing, increase in crime.In order for dublin to turn around, we must turn those vacant land into invaluable asset to attract more high quality residents. We should definitely allow no compromise.
8:55 PM on January 19th, 2010
“excessive amount of affordable housing, increase in crime.”
Oh heavens, the dearth of affordable housing, how awful!
Seriously, ‘Increase in Crime”??
Dublin has the lowest crime rate of any places (9 different states) I’ve lived in my entire 40+ years
Unless you’re willing to live in a ‘Big Brother’ world you’re not going to get a whole lot safer.
9:51 PM on January 19th, 2010
Just want to you understand. You can look at the comparable sales in the used to be “luxury condo” like Terrace and other townhome development, Village and Cottages. The resale price/SF is only $250 or lower. 300K can buy you a very nice 2 bd + 2 baths condo, which was sold close to 600K three year ago. With the already depressed price, I am sure they are definitely considered very affordable. How much affordable can it get if it is selling for below replacement cost. I am not against the affordable housing program. However, when you pile up a huge amount of affordable housing like 106 unit on a so called “luxury condo” Terrace. That just don’t convince me the current program is successful.
10:33 AM on January 19th, 2010
I hate to see the Green on Park Place go under. I think A store like Dragers or Henrys will be a good anchor. I would like to see a mix of big and small stores. The key is to bring people and have them window shop. Right now I cannot window shop at Hacienda because of its store mix and unfriendly nature of cruising on foot….
10:36 AM on January 19th, 2010
On a second though I cannot understand how there is crises. For the last 4-5 time I went to the Pleasanton Mall, I cannot find a parking space , whole place was completely packed. What is going on, I see people buying a lot of things, but seems like companies like WF has unrealistic expectations on how much peoples should spend…..
12:34 PM on January 19th, 2010
There is a link on Whole Foods website for a store location request. Just select this from the dropdown menu. Perhaps if they get enough requests they will reconsider.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/service.php?subject=12#viaemail
12:48 PM on January 19th, 2010
henry’s would make a wonderful addition to the area. stores like nordstrom rack and outlets will only bring the property values down further. the goal should be to make it a pleasant place for dublin residents to spend time and money – to keep money in dublin.
1:03 PM on January 19th, 2010
Totally true. Look at Marina Landing in San Leandro. Not an option for Dublin. We would rather leave it vacant for the time being.
12:53 PM on January 19th, 2010
The city of Dublin is embarrassing themselves by sucking up to Whole Foods as if they’re the almighty God of retailers. Personally, I’d tell WF to get lost and take their overpriced, overhyped, heavily marked up collection of placebos elsewhere. They need us more than we need them.
WF is an artifact from the late 90s dotcom scene. They were hip in 2000; today the public has wised up and moved on to better alternatives. Rather than kiss up to WF and beg their holyness to come to Dublin, we should be asking Fresh & Easy, Draegers, Andronico’s, and Henry’s if they want the spot that WF was too stupid to capitalize on. I don’t even want WF here anymore. I want something new, something fresh, and something people can actually afford.
Check out the Fresh and Easy website. Their logo and green objectives totally fit into what The Green is all about. Also, they’re expanding into Danville and other East Bay locations. They get it. WF doesn’t. Goodbye WF, hello Fresh & Easy or some other comparable organic grocer.
1:10 PM on January 19th, 2010
Thank you for bring up Dragers and Fresh and Easy. They both are very good candidate for the Green. However, I am not sure about Fresh and Easy, since I heard they are looking at other location in Pleasanton. Either Dragers or Andronico’s is good.
1:18 PM on January 19th, 2010
We have an article set to publish regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market on January 21. Please stay tuned.
1:11 PM on January 19th, 2010
How about Bristal Farm?
2:07 PM on January 19th, 2010
I agree with Mowbeh. Bringing outlet stores here might make people associate us with some place where you can pick up cheap finds and that is not the image I would like for us to project. If we have something similar to downtown Los Gatos with a nice mix of stores (Sur la Table, Williams Sonoma, Napa Style, etc.,), then we will attract more revenue into this city because people from Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Danville will also shop here.
It’s too bad that Whole Foods doesn’t want to come here. I see it as their loss, and one day, they will be kicking themselves. A store like Draeger’s or Mollie Stone’s would be a nice fit for the Green. I think it’s better to delay the Green and make sure that we get the right anchor tenant there than rush things and welcome a store that isn’t going to fit in well with our town.
5:31 PM on January 19th, 2010
I agree with all the above. When I lived in Manhattan Beach, Bristal Farms was the place to shop and I think a store like that would do well in Dublin.
7:18 PM on January 19th, 2010
berkeley bowl would be perfect for dublin
10:03 AM on January 20th, 2010
I go to Dragers in Danville at least twice a week. It’s a great area. Feed the ducks with the family, eat at a restaurant, take a cooking class, and buy groceries – btw – their lamb rocks.
I would much rather drive 5-minutes and keep the money right here in my hometown.
+1 for Dragers
10:05 AM on January 20th, 2010
I’d love to see Sur la Table and Dragers. These stores just make good sense for Dublin.
11:03 AM on January 20th, 2010
I wasn’t really excited about Whole Foods to be honest and am now hopeful that my favorites might come instead!
1) Draegers
2) Andronico’s
If not those, then perhaps another similar to them? (I don’t know about Molly Stones, Berkeley Bowl and the others mentioned—
Trader Joes tends to be houses in depressed shopping centers (as a way to secure low rent and pass savings onto customers) so unfortunately I don’t see them coming to The Green.. I’ve been to a Fresh and Easy before but it’s definitely low-frills compared to Draegers or Andronico’s….
11:48 AM on January 20th, 2010
Draegers is in Blackhawk because the shopping center gave them free rent for 5 years. The location that it is in has had multiple anchor stores since its inception that have failed. If the developer were to offer them a sweetheart deal like Blackhawk Plaza then maybe, but other than that I do not see Draegers coming to Dublin.
6:19 PM on January 20th, 2010
Seriously, people….this is Dublin, not Danville or Blackhawk. Draeger’s, Bristol Farms, etc. etc. would fall absolutely flat here. The average household income in Dublin is much lower than those other areas. I really don’t believe that super upscale grocers will touch Dublin with a 10 foot pole. Sorry! Whole Foods is Kmart compared to those other places.
8:08 PM on January 20th, 2010
Here are the average household incomes for Dublin and Danville.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin,_California: The average income for a household in the city is $101,550.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danville,_ca: According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $126,797, and the median income for a family was $147,101.
12:41 AM on January 21st, 2010
Don’t hold your breath on Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market coming to Dublin any time soon. Or to the Bay Area.
See this posting from the Fresh & Easy Buzz Blog:
http://freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/2009/04/despite-postponing-its-northern.html
and here too:
http://freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/2009/05/tesco-fresh-easy-northern-california.html
There’s also a bunch of links on the posts above.
And here’s one about the union boycotting the Fresh & Easy stores that just opened in Fresno
http://freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/2010/01/ufcw-union-launches-informal-boycott-of.html
7:23 AM on January 21st, 2010
Fresh and Easy in Pleasanton or Dublin would be fantastic. They have a great range of affordable foods. Finally real bacon!
Low down union shenanigans have slowed their progress in the state but will not stop them.
Their Stockton distribution Center will provide hundreds of much needed jobs in the area.
Safeway watch out once F&E come to town you’ll feel it.
2:03 PM on January 21st, 2010
Couldn’t agree more! Dublin needs more than a “test kitchen” Safeway (the 7499 Dublin Blvd. store that their corporate masters feel is their own personal incubator to try new ideas and layouts on the public; not to mention the terrible traffic problems on that corner, but that’s a City of Dublin issue).
12:50 AM on January 21st, 2010
Owe, and Sprouts Farmers Market is coming to San Jose: http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2009/12/21/story2.html
And they are looking for more locations in the Bay. Might be a nice fit for Dublin.
They are sort of a smaller version of Whole Foods. They also put more emphasis on selling natural and organic products for cheaper than Whole Foods. Plus Sprouts sells lots of conventional food and grocery products too, unlike Whole Foods.
They are fast-growing. I’ve been to their stores in Southern Cal and in Arizona before. Pretty nice. They also sell lots of fresh produce.
Here’s Sprouts website: http://sprouts.com/home.php
1:18 AM on January 21st, 2010
My husband and I live in the condos in Dublin Ranch and make $350k per year and many of our friends in the community also are successful. We have high hopes for Dublin and are encouraged by the ranking of Dublin High and the upcoming Prep school. If we end up with outlets and other lower class stores in our area, it will greatly hurt the community. We have already discussed that possibility and would either sell or rent our home if that happens. As others have said, leave it empty until the right companies come this way. And please no more low income housing! My mother was on welfare during part of my childhood and unfortunately it is true that with low income housing, etc., comes more crime and less emphasis on education. Don’t ruin what is happening with the Dublin schools by bringing in this type of housing and stores like outlets.
1:58 PM on January 21st, 2010
Leave Whole Foods for the “wine-n-cheese” S.F. crowd in the city. Over priced; too upscale; not to mention their CEO’s horrid position on healthcare entitlement. Fresh and Easy would be a better niche-grocery choice for Dublin than WF.
10:36 PM on January 21st, 2010
my wife and i make 750K and live in a one bedroom in dublin ranch…we want to open a store that sells leftovers from other stores…any feedback?
9:21 AM on January 22nd, 2010
If you make $750k a year, I have to ask why you’re living in a 1-bedroom? I’ve heard of living below your means, and that’s smart, but that’s REALLY below your means.
10:01 AM on January 22nd, 2010
They are obviously making a dumb sarcastic reference to the earlier poster that claims to make $350K/yr and lives in a Dublin condo.
12:31 AM on January 22nd, 2010
$350,000 and $750,000 a year?? Are you kidding me?
Whoa. I picked the wrong profession…
3:10 PM on January 22nd, 2010
300k in bay area is not a big deal. Many couples working in IT at mid management level make that much. Between my spouse and I, we make 280k which is lowest among our friends. And we still live in a modest 2 bed apt. We did purchase 2 properties in stockton and sacramento in october, which we have rented out. We also have 3 properties in India which have been rented out. However, I am not convinced that we have reached the bottom in the bay area. When I feel we have, I will buy a house.
2:34 PM on January 23rd, 2010
Yes, 300K is nothing. I am making more than $500K per year (including generous bonus at year end) working for a hedge fund in SF. My wife does not work. We rent a one-bedroom apartment in Dublin. However, we do own a luxury condo in Shanghai, China (2000 sq.ft., $1000/sq.ft.). And we are buying three rental properties in TX right now. We also think Dublin real estate price is going to drop another 50%. If it does drop another 50%, we will buy several houses in Dublin.
4:22 PM on January 23rd, 2010
Since when did this thread turn into a gathering for insecure social climbers to brag about how much they supposedly make, as they live in dwellings fit for a recent college grad? Seriously, to dismiss $300k is incredibly ignorant, arrogant, and inconsiderate, as no doubt lots of people read this blog who are either unemployed or don’t make 1/5th that much. A responsible couple making $100k is often far more financially secure than the $500k couple who wastes their money on dinners, extravagant vacations, Botox, video games for their spoiled kids, and expensive gym memberships that never get used as their 401k’s sit empty.
It’s not what you make; it’s what you spend and what you save. I know countless people in IT management where I work who make more than I do, but can’t even afford to pay their property taxes (something that is easily checked through public county records online; try it sometime, it’s amusing). It’s not because $300k is “nothing,” it’s because they blow their money and can’t balance a budget to save their lives.
The only certainty in life is that he who boasts of his salary and flaunts what he buys is almost always flat broke. And if he’s not, he will be shortly. It’s the quiet, humble ones who live modestly, drive ordinary cars, and are secure enough with themselves to not let the world know their annual salary that truly have the most money.
I’m not saying this to be harsh, but I’m trying to show how incredibly insensitive you are by saying $300k is nothing, when it’s actually a ton of money to the person who just got laid off, or to the person who just got divorced and lost everything, or to the average, hard-working Dublin resident who didn’t happen to have luck or timing on his side. If it makes you feel better to tell everyone how much you earn and how many properties you own, then I suggest taking some of that money and buying yourself some self-security, because you’re clearly lacking some.
6:08 PM on January 23rd, 2010
Totally agree with you. They claim to make so much, their friends claim to make even more, it becomes a nice occasion to brag and boast. Sounds like fishermen talking about how long their catch was.
And whenever the market goes down, they become prophet of doom while when the market was up they were the apostle of the bubble.
8:46 PM on January 24th, 2010
If it makes you feel better to tell everyone how much you earn and how many properties you own, then I suggest taking some of that money and buying yourself some self-security, because you’re clearly lacking some.
——————-
Thank you so much for your comment and letting me now that I’m not alone in thinking that $300,000 is a ton of money. Sheesh.
4:31 PM on January 24th, 2010
If Blake Hunt can somehow persuade Bristol Farms, Crate & Barrel and REI we’d have a strong foundation for a wonderful Center. It is not over till the !!! lady sings. Maybe give them 3-4 years free or half rent to gain commitments.
7:06 PM on January 24th, 2010
Absolutely NO Outlets please, upscale or not, still OUTLETS!!!
9:39 PM on January 24th, 2010
$300 K is not that much? Hello?
I’ll be sure to thank you as I redeem my coupon for chef boy-r-dee.
….GIVE ME A BREAK…..
3:44 PM on January 27th, 2010
why don’t the two or three of you comparing wallets exchange phone numbers or find a place to meet and continue your discussions there. The topic is about a retail center, not wallets or how many beans you have in your bag.
7:34 PM on January 28th, 2010
I am actually very impressed to know all those people who make that much money. I urge those of you to spend more and keep buying up the properties in Dublin to shore up our housing market. Please don’t leave Dublin. We all Dubliners definitely need your supports.
Sincerely,
9:48 AM on February 19th, 2010
I just moved to Dublin, and was immediately struck by how few grocery store options there are in the city. It’s basically Safeway and a handful of ethnic supermarkets (unless I’ve missed something). For a city that seems obsessed with building multi-family housing, this seems woefully inadequate.
11:01 AM on February 19th, 2010
There are two Safeway’s. Trader Joe’s borders East Dublin, and Ranch 99 is also in Dublin. Smart and Final is near central Dublin. Nob Hill is also near East Dublin, as is the Pleasanton Safeway. Then we’re getting another Ranch 99, Fresh & Easy, and yet another lifestyle Safeway in Pleasanton. I think we’re well covered.
2:22 PM on July 31st, 2010
As much as so many of us want a Whole Foods, realistically it is not practical and the owners know it. With Safeway and Trader Joe’s nearby, how could another \grocery store\ survive in this economy?
12:52 PM on August 2nd, 2010
It can like in San Ramon, there are also two Safeways, a NOB Hill and two Luckys within miles of the Wholefoods. Not to mention TJ and Lunardi’s in Danville. They are doing fine in that location due to the support they get from the masses working nearby. With a large corporate presence with its employees it could help along with local residence to support a Wholefoods in Dublin much like in San Ramon. Downtown Walnut Creek has a TJ, Safeway within walking distance of the Wholefoods there and it is doing just fine. We just need to build up our corporate presence in Dublin. If we don’t build it likely it will end up in Hacienda Business Park or along I680 in Pleasanton off Bernal anyways and we wish it was us.
People do drive far to get to a Wholefoods not like Safeway where folks only shop there as locals. A wholefoods in Dublin will draw from all of Pleasanton, Sunol and Livermore. We ourselves drive from Dublin Ranch to San Ramon once a week to do our groceries at Wholefoods and end up spending money at the Target next door instead of going to Target in Dublin. We end up eating at a restaurant in San Ramon also. Businesses draws business for other businesses.
Give Dublin more credit that we can support a higher end business compared to the discount big boxes that we are only known for.
8:57 AM on December 31st, 2010
and where exactly is The Green on Park Place located. stupid author assumes everyone knows.
9:52 AM on December 31st, 2010
Hint: It’s NOT located in the rock you’ve been living under. How can anyone live in this city and not know where the Green on Park Place is going to be? You don’t even need to be an Around Dublin reader, since it has been all over the local news.
12:30 AM on August 29th, 2011
there is a local news? tv or print?
7:30 AM on January 4th, 2011
yeah where the hell is green on park place!?
10:26 AM on December 31st, 2010
Yeah…you author is not stupid. In fact, you are the stupid idiot.
Wish you a happy new year and staying stupid…:P
7:44 PM on December 31st, 2010
We need better choices in Dublin for fresh produce, good meats and seafood. WF, Draegers, and Andronico’s are all good options. The city of Dublin is loosing sales tax revenue from people that drive to San Ramon or Danville to shop at WF or Draegers.
Sybase is across the street from the Green on Park Place location, and if the lunch time traffic at WF in San Mateo is any indication of interest, there would likely be quite a few Sybase employees (who probably don’t all live in Dublin) that would run over to the location for a bite to eat at lunch and possibly some other shopping as well. We have plenty of discount stores in Dublin, let’s get some more high quality stores in here to provide consumers with more options than discount shopping, generate more tax revenues, and reduce the need for us to drive to Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, or San Mateo to gain access to higher quality goods and services.
9:30 AM on January 1st, 2011
Upscale grocers took it on the chin during this last recession when people flocked to low cost alternatives like Wal-Mart and Target. Safeway used to aim for more upscale shoppers but were then forced to cut prices to attract the customers who left them.
For fresh produce, a Farmer’s Market is needed. For meat and seafood, Safeway are fine. Plus you’ve got a million other grocers and Fresh & Easy still to come. Whole Foods is an overpriced relic from the 90s. I’m so glad they decided not to come to Dublin.
8:47 AM on February 12th, 2011
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/content/company/real-estate/stores-in-development/
is the new site
7:47 AM on July 27th, 2011
Oh no another grocery store in Dublin?…:)
“”Whole Foods, now refreshed, weighs expansion”"
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/whole-foods-now-refreshed-weighs-expansion-2011-07-26
12:12 AM on July 28th, 2011
Looks like Fremont will finally get its Whole Foods:
Whole Foods and Sunflower sign leases for Fremont stores, in deals that bid to intensify the Bay Area grocery wars