About John M. Zukoski
Background
John is the publisher of the Around Dublin Blog. He works at Robert Half International and lives in Dublin. As president of Dublin Rotary Club, John dedicates his free time to community service and helping others help themselves. John is also one of the founders of Tassajara Prep and a board member of Shakespeare's Associates.
Contact
Email: John M. Zukoski
Website: http://www.arounddublinblog.com
January 25, 2012 | 
No Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Opinions
Residents living in and around Dublin, CA are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new 543,000-square-foot outlet mall right off the El Charro exit on I-580, kitty corner from the new East Dublin Target at Fallon Gateway. Paragon Outlets Livermore Valley is expected to open in time for Black Friday this year. Like premium outlet malls across the United States, Paragon Outlets promises to offer consumers great prices on luxury brand items.
Many outlet malls use an assortment of psychological gimmicks to confuse shoppers and wrest money from their wallets. Stores like Nike, Adidas, Gap, and Banana Republic often make products specifically for their outlet stores. These shoes, shirts, and sweaters never spend time on the racks in regular retail stores. Instead, they use less stitching, lighter fabric, and cheaper buttons to offer lower prices while keeping profitability high. This common trick relies on the inability of most shoppers to differentiate between B-grade products and the real McCoys.
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January 23, 2012 | 7 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Local Issues
Dublin’s Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, January 24th to decide the fate of a local entrepreneur’s request to operate a fortune telling business in Dublin’s historic shopping district. The proposed location for the new business is 6918 Village Parkway with an intimate 140 square feet of space. Services would be provided from 10:00AM to 10:00PM seven days a week.
Some residents believe that the Commission’s decision is already in the cards. If approved, Dublin’s oracle would provide psychic, tarot card, and palm readings on a one-on-one basis. Group seances and readings over the phone will not be available, so Dublin will not be getting its own Miss Cleo.
The Planning Commission’s conditional approval for the fortune telling business would include a series of requirements and restrictions, and it would only be the first step for the applicant Janet Evans. Evans would then need to obtain approval from Dublin’s Chief of Police Tom McCarthy, who reports to both Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern and Dublin City Manager Joni Pattillo.
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January 19, 2012 | 11 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Issues
City officials have confirmed that the grand opening of Kaiser Permanente’s medical facility in Dublin, CA has been pushed out to at least 2020. Kaiser Permanente had originally expected to complete its East Dublin medical facility project by 2015; however, it may still build and open the medical offices before 2020. Kaiser Permanente has reportedly held off building its Dublin facility until it has completed its San Leandro project in October 2014.
Kaiser Permanente’s medical facility projects typically take about five years to finish. If the San Leandro project can proceed without any major delay, the East Dublin facility should be able to start in 2015 and complete by 2020. “We envision a range of possible future uses for the site, from a medical office building or outpatient surgical center to a full-service hospital,” said Kaiser Permanente’s Media Relations Specialist Deniene Erickson.
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January 18, 2012 | 4 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Opinions
Ross Stores recently confirmed that it will be moving its headquarters from Pleasanton to Dublin’s Emerald Point office complex by mid-2014. Ross reportedly paid around $68M for the Dublin facility that will have 414,000 square feet of class A space and be able to accommodate up to 2,050 employees. Ross had also reportedly been looking to buy the raw land owned by the Alameda County Surplus Authority to build its new headquarters from the ground up directly across from Sybase.
That plan would have included the parcel billionaire developer Rick Caruso had planned to build his first lifestyle center in Northern California . Caruso Affiliates recently killed that project.
“This move will accommodate the long-term growth of our corporate office staff for the foreseeable future. We are outgrowing our existing office space and the purchase provides us with full control,” said Ross spokeswoman Bobbi Chaville. “We looked at several options and at the end of the day, the purchase was much more favorable than staying in our existing space and made strategic sense.”
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January 16, 2012 | 5 Comments | Topics: Development · Parks
Braddock & Logan recently put the finishing touches on the necessary infrastructure and utility improvements at the 4.6-acre Positano Hills Park in Dublin, CA. The City of Dublin is expected to start construction on the $1.5M park in Spring 2012. Final design of Positano Hills Park is underway, and construction is expected to be completed by Fall 2012.
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January 15, 2012 | 2 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Things To Do
Chinese Soup Pot is a food blog created by a Dublin resident who aims to reveal a different side of the Chinese food tradition – “slow fire” soups. From tasty and healthy soup recipes to demystifying common Chinese herbs, this new website is a great resource for anyone who wishes to learn about the centuries-old soup making tradition in Chinese culture. Chinese Soup Pot is also on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes traditional Chinese soups different is that butter and cream are never used, making them lighter and healthier than the creamy versions many Americans are accustomed to eating. To make up for the flavor, vegetables, herbs, and lean meats are often used as the main ingredients.
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January 13, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Local Businesses · Restaurants · Things To Do
The Taste of the Tri-Valley and San Francisco’s Dine About Town 2012 will be extending the holiday joy for Bay Area residents in search of the perfect meal at a reasonable price. The Taste of the Tri-Valley is expected to feature at least 30 Tri-Valley restaurants with prix fixe lunch and dinner options from January 21th through January 29th. Some of most renowned chefs at some of the finest restaurants in the Tri-Valley such as Esin, Maria Maria, Patrick David’s, Coco Cabana, Blue Agave, and Underdog Wine Bar will showcase their culinary styles for diners.
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January 12, 2012 | 14 Comments | Topics: City Hall · Local Issues · Opinions
Suspected burglar Jose Luis Gonzales Franco escaped from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA on Monday. Before being arrested at Video Only in Dublin’s historic shopping district seven hours later, Franco was joyriding around town in most of his prison garb on a stolen bicycle. Franco’s big adventure reportedly started in the same area off Tassajara Road where MythBusters misfired a cannonball and damaged several homes during an experiment conducted on the Alameda County Bomb Disposal Range. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office oversees the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and runs Dublin Police Services for the City of Dublin by contract.
The City of Dublin stayed silent throughout the seven-hour manhunt. The CodeRED Emergency Notification System could have been deployed to warn residents about the escaped inmate. The last time the City of Dublin used the CodeRED Emergency Notification System was to let residents know about the public meeting at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office regarding the MythBusters cannonball incident. The City of Dublin also had the option to warn the general public through the neighborhood watch program. Instead, City officials chose to keep its network of neighborhood watch block captains in the dark.
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January 9, 2012 | 6 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Opinions · Retail
Residents living in and around Dublin, CA shop at Target for everything from diapers to electronics to groceries. The addition of the East Dublin Target at Fallon Gateway has made bargain retail much more accessible for consumers; however, many families are ditching Target for Amazon Prime as a way to save money and to get the best selection on everyday items. Although shopping at Target is fairly easy for most folks, shopping with Amazon Prime is even more convenient for people whose busy schedules make that trip to the store a luxury they cannot afford.
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