Archive for October, 2010
by John M. Zukoski on October 31, 2010 | 
No Comments | Topics: Announcements · City Hall
The City of Dublin was named a finalist by the National Civic League for the 2010 All-America City Awards, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious civic recognition award. The City submitted an application to the National Civic League to be considered for this honor. In its application, the City documented three community projects that addressed the City’s most pressing challenges – the integration of diversity and creating a sense of community after a period of significant growth.
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by Around Dublin Team on October 29, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · City Hall
The City of Dublin is currently seeking applicants to fill vacancies on various commissions and one committee. The Mayor makes all the appointments, and these appointments are subject to confirmation by majority vote of the City Council. The terms will last four years.
Dublin residents interested in serving on one of the following commissions must complete an application form. Forms may be submitted online or downloaded at the City’s website or obtained by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (925)833-6650. All applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, CA 94568, by end of day Monday, November 29, 2010. Postmarks will not be accepted.
Dublin Planning Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month at the Dublin Civic Center. This five-member Commission acts on general planning and zoning related matters and serves in an advisory capacity to the City Council with regard to issues related to the General Plan, Specific Plans, the annual Capital Improvements Program, land use matters, etc. Applications for the Dublin Planning Commission may be submitted both online and by mail.
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by John M. Zukoski on October 28, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Restaurants
Since opening a year ago, Livermore’s Lanna Thai has won high praise from local media, earned a solid four-star rating on Yelp, and cultivated a large following in the Tri-Valley and beyond with its authentic, home-style Thai cooking. To help celebrate the one year anniversary milestone, Lanna Thai’s owner and head chef Prakin Gamble will be introducing a score of new dishes on October 29, 2010. “People come and eat here, and I want them to feel like they are in my hometown,” said Prakin.
While the Around Dublin Team enjoys all of Chef Prakin Gamble’s new culinary creations, five stand out as our favorites:
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by Around Dublin Team on October 27, 2010 | 7 Comments | Topics: Announcements
The Around Dublin Blog, an independent website dedicated to news in and around Dublin, CA, turns three today. The Around Dublin Team started the blog as a way to share interesting information we have collected and digested from Dublin City Council meeting minutes, Staff Reports, and communication with City Staff. Initially we focused our reporting on new developments in Dublin. Over time we expanded our coverage of Dublin to include local businesses currently in the area, new businesses on the horizon, special events around town, issues that impact the residents, and data-driven discussions of our school district. In addition to being the top hit for the search terms “Dublin blog” on Google, Yahoo, and Bing, we now are on the first page of returned results for “Dublin, CA” on Google Web Search and Google News Search. Many of our articles show up in the Google News Feed for the geolocation Dublin, CA.
We on the Around Dublin Team are not journalists, nor do we aspire to be. We simply present each item on its own, put it in the greater context of the city and the Tri-Valley, and provide a forum for interested residents to contribute their perspectives through our open comment forum. The Around Dublin Blog is very fortunate to have many intelligent readers who are willing to give us constructive feedback and share leads to new stories with us. Periodically readers would raise concerns about the occasional inaccurate comments made in the heat of the moment. While we share these concerns, our savvy readers have consistently shown that they can discriminate insightful statements from ill-informed assertions, steer discussions back on topic on their own over the past three years, and help us make our website a daily destination for a growing number of readers.
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by John M. Zukoski on October 26, 2010 | 7 Comments | Topics: Development
Arroyo Vista is a 24-acre community located along Dougherty Road directly across from Camp Parks in Dublin, CA. Dublin Housing Authority currently owns the 150 homes in Arroyo Vista. These homes were previously rented to low-income households at very affordable rates. Unfortunately, the Arroyo Vista buildings had fallen into disrepair over the years, so the City of Dublin decided to implement a market-based solution to redevelop Arroyo Vista, provide additional affordable housing units, and minimize the cost to Dublin’s residents. The City has relocated the former Arroyo Vista residents and fenced off the entire community in preparation for redevelopment.
As part of the redevelopment, Dublin will sell the land to Citation Homes and Eden Housing to build a new community of market-rate and affordable homes. Under this agreement, Citation Homes will build and sell 198 homes, and Eden Housing will build and own 180 affordable-rate apartments, 50 of which will be built for seniors. The community will also feature a 3,200-square-foot community room for residents.
The construction of the 180 affordable units at Arroyo Vista 2.0 was scheduled to begin in fall 2009; however, delays in public funding have hampered Eden Housing’s efforts to move forward with the project.
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by John M. Zukoski on October 25, 2010 | 3 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions
Readers in Dublin, CA and the greater Tri-Valley have another full batch of state propositions to vote on this election season. The Around Dublin Team has created a brief summary of each of the November 2010 California propositions to help voters decide what is best for our state. The Around Dublin Team would like to thank Ballotpedia.org for providing most of the source information.
Proposition 19 is also known as the Marijuana Legislative Initiative. If passed, this initiative would allow people who are at least 21 years old to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. It would also permit local governments to regulate and tax commercial production and sale of marijuana. Those in favor of legalizing marijuana believe that Proposition 19 will reduce racial bias in cannabis arrests, generate new tax revenue, and reduce criminal justice costs. In contrast, those opposed to Proposition 19 argue that legalizing marijuana would increase substance abuse, reduce productivity, and compromise public safety.
Proposition 23 would suspend State law that requires greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020, until California’s unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for four consecutive quarters. Supporters argue that Proposition 23 will save jobs since companies will have more money to invest in growing their business in California if they don’t have to spend it on environmental protection. Most of the financial support for Proposition 23 is from oil companies such as Valero and Tesoro. Opponents are concerned about the adverse impact that Proposition 23 will have on the environment and emerging clean technology economy in California, especially considering that the state’s jobless rate has dropped to 5.5 percent or below for four straight quarters exactly three times in the past 30 years. Bill Gates recently donated $700,000 to the “No on Prop 23″ committee.
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by Around Dublin Team on October 23, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Things To Do
Dr. Janice Liao and Dr. George Shiao are putting their money where their mouth is. Why? Because they know very well the damaging effect of too much candy on children’s teeth. Dr. Liao and Dr. Shiao see firsthand how cavities can ravage both the enamel and the wallet. This Halloween they hope kids in Dublin and the Tri-Valley will pick out their favorite candy collected from trick-or-treating and turn the rest in for a nice cash price. In addition, the children will receive a new toothbrush and goody bag of gifts. This generous offer is limited to one goody bag per child, while supplies last. All the candy from this Great Halloween Candy Buy Back will be shipped to our troops overseas, so they may be reminded of home while serving our country.
On Monday, November 1st, 2010, the day after Halloween, bring your children with the unopened candy they want to donate to Dublin Smiles Dentistry from 8:30AM to 6:00PM. Dublin Smiles Dentistry will weigh the candy and pay $1 for each pound of candy. In addition to the cash payout, each child will receive a free toothbrush and a goody bag. All the candy collected will be shipped to our troops via Operation Gratitude. For more details about the Great Halloween Candy Buy Back from Dublin Smiles Dentistry, please call (925)833-2501 or visit www.dublinsmilesdentistry.com. Dublin Smiles Dentistry is located at 6601 Dublin Boulevard, Suite K, in the Shops at Tralee.
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by Around Dublin Team on October 21, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Restaurants
Coco Cabana has inked a deal at The Shops at Waterford in Dublin, CA and will be taking the 6,600 square foot space left behind last summer by Stacey’s at Waterford. The new restaurant will feature a Latin themed menu with a wine and tequila lounge. The ownership behind Coco Cabana is local restaurateurs Omar and Sadaf Etemadi, who also own Oasis Grille & Wine Lounge in Downtown Pleasanton.
Coco Cabana will offer “a relaxed and fun dining experience throughout the restaurant and lounge with an extensive tapas (small plates) menu and a regular menu. Fresh fruit sangria, local wine and cocktails will highlight the bold flavors of the cuisine,” said Sadaf. “A unique experience is emerging in Dublin. Inspired by the majestic flavors of Latin America. Coco Cabana is the latest blend of modern Latin heat and flavor.”
The City of Dublin has been working closely with Coco Cabana over the past few months of initial planning and feels the restaurant is a much needed addition to Dublin and The Shops at Waterford. “The City of Dublin is excited to see the former Stacey’s location be turned over to experienced restaurateurs who are planning to bring a unique dining experience to Dublin,” said Linda Maurer, City of Dublin’s Economic Development Director. “We look forward to them opening.”
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by John M. Zukoski on October 21, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
The Dublin Corporate Center on the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Tassajara Road has seen a flurry of activities recently. Arguably one of the top Class A campus office parks in the Tri-Valley, the Dublin Corporate Center has had its occupancy rate doubled from 35% to 70% over the past 18 months. The surge in occupancy at the Dublin Corporate Center is primarily attributed to owner Tishman Speyer’s buying back the debt on the property from the bank at a substantial discount for a reported $55M.
By paying off its bank loans early, Tishman Speyer was able to shed the restrictive covenants and red tape that had required them to obtain bank approval for each prospective tenant. Tishman Speyer has also been very aggressive in competitively pricing its lease rates at the Dublin Corporate Center, and thus making the class A office spaces there financially viable for a growing number of businesses looking to establish their presence in the Tri-Valley.
Some of the recent highlights at the Dublin Corporate Center include:
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