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
August 13, 2010 | 
No Comments | Topics: Things To Do
The comedians of the Manic Melodies Comedy Tour will be going the extra mile to make people laugh starting August 18th. The audience will not be able to resist tapping their feet, as they giggle and groove to an evening of stand-up comedy music. The tour will be making a stop in Dublin at Bunjo’s Comedy Lounge on Saturday, September 11th.
This show will feature nationally touring headliner Phil Johnson, along with a who’s who of Bay Area comedy music including DJ Real, Jerry Goldstone, Richard Stockton, Herb Digs, and Danny Dechi.
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August 12, 2010 | 16 Comments | Topics: Development
Prime Outlets is still planning to open a discount outlet mall on El Charro Road in Livermore directly across from the future Staples Ranch development in Pleasanton. Simon Property Group inked a deal with the Lightstone Group LLC in December 2009 to acquire Prime Outlets. As part of the anti-trust review of the acquisition, the FTC ordered Simon to shed three of the Prime Outlet sites – St. Augustine in Florida, Grand Prairie in Texas, and the Livermore Valley site in California. Based on this revised agreement, Lightstone Group LLC will hold onto the Livermore Valley site at El Charro Road for now and possibly sell it to another outlet mall operator.
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August 11, 2010 | 59 Comments | Topics: Development · Restaurants
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is eager to open a new location in the Tri-Valley. Early indications point to Dublin as BJ’s preferred location for its new restaurant. BJ’s will most likely construct a new building roughly 9,000 square feet in size instead of leasing space from an existing building. The Shops at Waterford would have been an option for BJ’s, if the property owner could relocate the nail salon and reconfigure the space formerly occupied by Stacey’s and Blockbuster. Unfortunately, The Shops at Waterford simply does not have nearly the parking spaces to meet BJ’s minimum parking requirement.
BJ’s is considering at least two sites in Dublin. The first is a parcel that sits between Dublin Toyota and Hacienda Crossings. This location is close to where BJ’s target market lives, near a thriving retail and entertainment hub, and highly visible from I-580. The second is the parking lot next to the vacant Mervyn’s building and Toys “R” Us in Downtown Dublin. This site is appealing to BJ’s, because the new restaurant will be next to the West Dublin BART station, easily accessible from both I-680 and I-580, and well positioned to take advantage of the emerging Downtown Dublin District. Simon Malls took a similar approach at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton when it built The Cheesecake Factory and PF Chang’s on top of land previously used for parking.
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August 5, 2010 | 16 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses
Charter Properties has confirmed that a new steakhouse will be opening at Grafton Station before Christmas 2010. The new steakhouse will be owned by an investment group led by a former employee of the Hungry Hunter Steakhouse chain. Currently in the design phase, the steakhouse will be called Cellar 9 Wine Bar & Restaurant. Once opened, the new steakhouse will be in the same building as Karma Fusion Lounge and right across from Dublin Ranch Dental.
The addition of a steakhouse to Grafton Station makes a great deal of sense and should complement Buffalo Wild Wings and Karma Fusion Lounge nicely. In addition to these restaurants, Grafton Station is also home to Lowe’s.
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August 3, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
Teance is the premier East Bay shop for artisanal tea products, tastings, and culture. Teance’s tea sommeliers help to cultivate an appreciation for their collection of white, green, oolong, pu-erh, and red/black teas. The best and easiest way to appreciate fine tea is by tasting a cross-section of Teance’s rich tea offerings. The Around Dublin Team recommends Jasmine Silver Needle (福鼎茉莉銀針) from the white tea selection, Bi Luo Chun (碧螺春) from the green tea selection, Phoenix Single Grove Honey Fragrance (鳳凰單叢花蜜香型) from the oolong selection, and Lychee Red Premium cold tea (荔枝冰紅茶) from the red/black tea selection.
Every detail inside Teance’s retail store was thoughtfully designed by owners Fu-Tung Cheng and Winnie Yu. Cheng founded Cheng Design and is a respected leader in the field of architectural and interior design. His work in design and architecture is best showcased in Teance’s heated, one pour round concrete tea tasting bar. Water showers from Teance’s high ceiling and into the finely crafted stone basin, creating an airy and outdoor-like setting that goes perfectly with the premium tea collection curated by Yu. Yu’s passion for tea began at a young age in Hong Kong. This passion motivated her to create not just an infrastructure and operation that imports the finest teas from Asia but also a community resource committed to educating the American public about fine teas. The outcome of Yu’s vision was Teance.
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August 2, 2010 | 3 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
Bishop Ranch Business Park in San Ramon, CA, has been a tremendous success story since its founding in the 1970s. It is home to many Fortune 500 veterans such as Chevron, Coca-Cola, and AT&T. Many of the factors that have helped Bishop Ranch become the most successful business park in the Tri-Valley can be applied to Dublin’s two largest office centers – the Dublin Corporate Center on Tassajara Road and Heritage Park Office Center off Dublin Boulevard in West Dublin.
Bishop Ranch has created a sense of community for businesses and their employees by developing an extensive and constantly changing roster of special services, amenities, and events. In addition, Bishop Ranch pampers its business tenants with a full-time staff on site to provide facilities and landscaping services. Some of the Bishop Ranch activities and events include the popular Fourth of July fireworks show, Pilates classes, a cycling club, and discounted Oakland A’s tickets. Perhaps the most exciting event is the opportunity to become Top Chef for a Day with Patrick David Schoolcraft at his highly successful restaurant Patrick David’s in Danville. Chef Schoolcraft regularly provides cooking lessons and meals for the lucky winners.
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August 1, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Things To Do
The City of Dublin will be showing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs at Emerald Glen Park on Friday, August 6th, starting at 7:30PM. The movie is rated PG. According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is “the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children’s book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.”
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July 30, 2010 | 14 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
With the recent departure of Principal Rick Boster, many parents are wondering what is in store for Murray Elementary School. In an effort to cut expenses and potentially boost reserves, the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) may be considering the closure of Murray Elementary School. By shutting down Murray Elementary School, DUSD could save at least $250K of operating expenses each year. Additionally, the sale of the Murray Elementary campus to the City or a developer would likely yield a significant one-time boost to the District’s currently non-existent operating reserves.
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July 29, 2010 | 7 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Public Works
The 14-mile southbound I-680 Express Lane is set to open on September 20th at 5AM between Pleasanton and Milpitas. It is currently free to carpoolers, motorcycles, and hybrid vehicles. Alameda County will be using the FasTrak system to collect Express Lane tolls from drivers Monday through Friday during the hours of 5AM-8PM. The California Highway Patrol will enforce the FasTrak requirements at the various entry and exit points. Alameda County will be using a “dynamic pricing” model to increase or decrease tolls depending on the amount of traffic in the Express Lane. Motorists pay $5-$7 to travel in the Express Lane during peak hours. In 2011, a second Express Lane is set to be unveiled on eastbound I-580 along the 11-mile stretch between Hacienda Drive and Greenville Road.
Tolls collected from the Express Lane motorists will primarily be used for providing transit services and adding more Express Lanes along I-680/I-580; however, what portion of the driving tax proceeds will be used for other purposes such as bridging State funding gaps for various County and local agencies remains unclear. The freeways are no longer free.
What Do the New Express Lanes Mean For Your Wallet?
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