Opinions
by Around Dublin Team on May 9, 2012 | 
19 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Opinions · Restaurants
With little fanfare, Macaroni Grill in Dublin, CA quietly closed its doors for good at the end of April, just a little over one month after the Around Dublin Blog speculated on what its shuttering will bring to that highly visible corner of the ever vibrant Hacienda Crossings. Two days after that article’s publication, then general manager Daniel Lehrbaum attempted to do some damage control by reassuring everyone that Macaroni was here to stay. “I write to assure all of our loyal guests that Romano’s Macaroni Grill is not only still open for business, but here to stay. We appreciate the many concerned inquiries we have received, and look forward to serving the Dublin community for many more years to come,” commented Lehrbaum. Sadly, no amount of enthusiasm or optimism could save Dublin’s Macaroni Grill from its ultimate demise.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 7, 2012 | 9 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions · Sustainability
After years of lobbying, the City of Livermore, CA finally managed to convince BART leadership to embrace an extension to the city’s thriving Downtown district. Unfortunately, that forward momentum was thrown in reverse when the “Keep BART on 580” group petitioned to thwart BART’s extension to Livermore’s Downtown in favor of a less desirable route to Livermore’s Greenville Road, which would involve the costly relocation of a $125M carpool lane and open the door to suburban sprawl in the form of higher density residential development along I-580. With the loss of momentum thanks to the interference of the “Keep BART on 580″ and other higher-priority projects competing for BART’s attention, the dream that some have called “BART to Nowhere” is again going nowhere, as explained in a recent article on the Around Dublin Blog titled Residents in Livermore, CA May Have to Wait Another 40 Years for BART Station.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 4, 2012 | 1 Comment | Topics: Announcements · Opinions · Things To Do
For Melanoma Monday this year, the Board Certified oncologists at Epic Care, Partners in Cancer Care, in Dublin, CA are sharing life-saving tips to help prevent skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States. “Melanoma, although the most severe skin cancer, can have a 97 percent survival rate if caught early enough,” explained Michael Forrest, M.D., Board Certified radiation oncologist at Epic Care in Dublin. “It’s tempting to soak up the sun as it warms up, but we’re asking for people to protect their skin first.”
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by John M. Zukoski on May 2, 2012 | 34 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Local Issues · Opinions
Residents of Dublin, CA have been right all along about City Councilmember and U.S. Congressional candidate Eric Swalwell. Nearly half of his campaign funds appear to have come from controversial Lin Family connections and home developers, including representatives of D.R. Horton, Lennar, Standard Pacific, Braddock & Logan, Mission Peak Homes, and KB Home. According to the Federal Election Commission’s website, Dublin City Councilmember Swalwell had raised $194,200 since the announcement of his candidacy, with at least $89,200 coming from members suspected to be part of the Lin Family network and other developers in the Dublin area. Exactly how much campaign contribution James Tong of Charter Properties and the Lin Family have bundled from investment partners on Swalwell’s behalf still remains unclear at this point.
Many among Swalwell’s own constituents in Dublin have long believed the ambitious politician has traded favorable and lucrative zoning decisions while on the Planning Commission and the City Council in exchange for campaign contributions from the Lin Family and other developers.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 1, 2012 | 4 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions · Public Works
Residents in Livermore, CA have faithfully paid into the BART system for over 40 years based on a promise that one day they too will have a station to call their own. Widely panned in the mass transit community, the dream of a new line to Livermore had been branded “BART to Nowhere” by experts like the Antiplanner, who has remained unimpressed with the ridership of BART’s branch to Dublin. According to the Antiplanner, BART’s 13-mile stretch to Dublin added only 11,000 weekday riders to the system in 1997 during its first year of operation. Still, BART planners predict that extending the line into Livermore will add another 21,000 daily riders.
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by Vickie Nagy on April 27, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Opinions
High demand and low inventory for condos in Dublin, CA spike median selling price for higher-density homes to $345,000. Of the 17 condos that closed during the last 30 days, 9 units (53%) sold at or above their listing prices. Sellers are frequently seeing multiple offers on their condos. Close to 60% of the condos were on the market for 2 weeks or less, and one closed in just 3 days.
Sales of Dublin condos from March 15 to April 15 included:
- One-bedroom, 1 unit, $155,000
- Two-bedroom, 9 units, $182,000 to $395,000
- Three-bedroom, 7 units, $295,000 to $469,900
Almost 60% of the Dublin condos sold during the last 30 days were distressed properties. Of the 17 units sold, 5 were short sales, 5 were foreclosures, 6 were previously occupied resales, and 1 was new construction.
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by Around Dublin Team on April 24, 2012 | 30 Comments | Topics: City Hall · Local Issues · Opinions · Restaurants
In its ongoing shakedown of minority-owned small businesses, the All-America City of Dublin, CA continues to tighten the noose around local entrepreneur Phillip Chin and his Willow Tree Restaurant. Located at 512 Regional Street, Willow Tree has served diners in and around Dublin since 1978. Dublin City Hall hates Chin’s new sign at the entrance of his restaurant and is forcing him to tear it down. The All-America City Hall, said Chin, wants him to go through the trouble of constructing another sign like the one already in place just to collect permit fees and billable hours.
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by Tyler Moxley on April 21, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Opinions
If you are looking at different neighborhoods in Dublin, CA, please visit our Dublin Ranch Neighborhoods page. This page features information on schools, parks, floor plans, and an interactive neighborhood map of Dublin Ranch Neighborhood.
The number of detached homes sold in Dublin, CA increased by 14 in March 2012. A total of 27 homes sold in March compared to 13 in February. The highest sale price for homes in Dublin was $1,220,000 on Clifden Court. That home sold at $265 a square foot. The lowest sale price for Dublin homes was $270,750 on Ironwood Drive. That home sold at $243 a square foot.
The average days on market for Dublin homes was 39 with an average list price of $652,840 at $362 a square foot. The average sale price was $640,057 at $259 a square foot.
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by Around Dublin Team on April 19, 2012 | 11 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions
Dublin City Councilmember Eric Swalwell’s campaign to represent the newly created 15th District in the State of California has received scant media coverage since the announcement of his unlikely candidacy last September. While Swalwell’s candidacy has generated very little excitement, Representative Pete Stark, the longtime congressman who currently represents the 9th Congressional District, has already racked up numerous key endorsements. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Dublin City Councilmember Swalwell got his opportunity to get back into the news, when Congressman Stark accused Swalwell of accepting bribes from the notorious Charter Properties at a recent candidates’ forum at Hayward City Hall. According to Stark, “pipsqueak” Swalwell has taken “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” from Charter Properties in exchange for his votes on zoning issues. “If I were a lawyer, I would call that bribery, but I’m not a lawyer, so I’ll let Mr. Swalwell define what he thinks taking all this money from people that he gave special zoning privileges to is. Maybe it’s how he sees his role in government.”
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