Ygnacio Plaza, Walnut Creek
Thanks to a reader for pointing out this Business Times article that reports that Fresh & Easy will be closing in Ygnacio Plaza in Walnut Creek. Employees have been telling people that April 2nd will be the last day. I noted the eventual closure way back in April of 2013, and the time has finally come so stock up on those British food items ASAP.
The children’s birthday and fun center Smile Tu has closed in the Encina Grande Shopping center in Walnut Creek due to the eventual construction of the new Whole Foods store right next door where Safeway currently is. However, according to a sign in the window they are, “switching gears and going mobile with a service that can come to you.”
From their website:
We will be working on constructing a new mobile bus that can bring the party to you. For any questions or requests please email us @ smiletuinc@gmail.com
Encina Grande, Walnut Creek
Last week we learned that The Orchards development (across the street from the Encina Grande shopping center in Walnut Creek) has been delayed which led to speculation by some that Safeway, which was supposed to relocate there from Encina Grande, was trying to renegotiate their lease at Encina Grande. However, that is definitely not going to happen as Whole Foods has a signed lease and will be opening at Encina Grande around October, 2016. Construction on the new Whole Foods store will begin in October, 2015, with Safeway closing a month earlier in September, 2015.
The empty Orchards plot is below:
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
Friday, March 20th, 2015 – Sunday, April, 2015
An All-American Institution!Fast-talking con man Harold Hill sells instruments and uniforms to the naive Iowa townsfolk, promising to train the members of a new boys’ band – without giving music lessons. Plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian who gives him a lesson in moral responsibility. Funny, warm, romantic and touching – Family Entertainment at its best.
Looks like the new owners of The Orchards shopping center in Walnut Creek have put the kibosh on development as no work has been done for a while now. According to Supermarket News, last December, “Safeway said it has completed the sale of its real estate development assets to Terramar Retail Centers.” Since the 24 acre plot located in the Shadelands Business Park at the corner of Ygnacio Valley and Oak Grove was owned by Safeway’s “Property Development Centers”, this means that the new owner is Terramar Retail Centers, not Safeway.
I’m speculating but what if Safeway is able to renegotiate their lease at Encina Grande across the street before Whole Foods takes over? That could mean that if Terramar eventually decides to restart The Orchards development with different stores then Whole Foods could move in to The Orchards!
Broadway Plaza rendering
A new “gateway feature” rest area is planned for Broadway Plaza at the corner of Newell Ave. and S. Broadway in Walnut Creek where the new parking garage is being built. This is directly across from Whole Foods and looks like it will be a nice area to take a break.
Broadway Plaza rendering
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
The Broadway Plaza beauty supply store Sephora is expanding slightly on one side as the outside undergoes a facelift but they are still open.
1321 Locust St, Walnut Creek
Last month we learned that a new coffee shop, called, appropriately enough, Coffee Shop, will be opening in downtown Walnut Creek where Lift Lounge used to be and they are now planning for an April opening. According to their Facebook page they are now hiring. Check out their latest updates here.
From their website:
Located at 1321 Locust Street, in Downtown Walnut Creek. CS is a celebration of coffee creativity and an exploration into coffee roast styles from around the world. Whether you’re on the fritz and need a fix or if you are insanely coffee curious, we should have something for you.
Browsing their Instagram photos makes my mouth water, I can’t wait to check this out!
1756 Cole Ave, Walnut Creek
1756 Cole, which will be home to 12 condominiums in downtown Walnut Creek right next to the Mercer Apartments is progressing but no word on the completion date yet.
From their website:
Set amongst a sweeping view of Walnut Creek, the condominiums at 1756 Cole are both beautiful and well-designed for residents who seek the attraction of an easy, comfortable environment. Featuring details such as soaring 12-foot ceilings and decorator hardware, these spaces were created for those who love classic styling and first-class amenities. Inside your home, you’ll enjoy gourmet kitchens, sumptuous baths, spacious quarters, and breathtaking scenic views of the city and the mountains: everything you love about a large, suburban home set within a single-level, private condominium. Come see this luxury property for yourself by scheduling an appointment today.
Living area:
- Raised panel entry door with designer selected hardware
- Hand-set 12×12 inch tile entry floor
- Expansive interior glass
- Designer coordinated light fixtures
- Abundant use of LED down lighting throughout residence
- Raised and coffered ceiling areas per plan
- Smooth drywall finish with radius corners
- Engineered hardwood and designer carpet in selected areas
- Eight foot raised panel interior doors with brushed nickel lever hardware
- Sleek easy touch rocker switches
- Custom trim baseboard and door casing
- Soaring 9-12 foot floor ceilings per plan
Check out the rest of the features here.
Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek
The latest Bedford Gallery exhibit, The Object & the Void – West Coast Metal Sculpture, has been showing for abot a month now and it’s still exhibiting through April 12th.
From their website:
The Object & the Void features four West Coast sculptors whose work reveals how both a sculpture and the void that surrounds it need one another to communicate ideas and concepts. The exhibition assembles sculpture and installations by renowned artists Bella Feldman, Linda Fleming, Clay Jensen,and Yoshitomo Saito. The artists work with metal media ranging from cast bronze to cut steel, to explore weight, balance, and how it can be used to portray a broad reach of visual imagery and ideas – including narrative, poetic, and abstract concepts.
Each of the exhibiting artists is well known for their masterful command of their media and inventive style. Clay Jensen forges austere structures in bronze inspired by his home state of Utah and the Bay Area’s dwindling urban environments. Linda Fleming and her “diagrams of thought” are colorful, patterned structures that suggest the presence of two realities existing at once. Yoshitomo Saito’s installation, 1000 Prayers, is a poignant installation of one thousand pine cones that comment on the series of natural disasters that have battered Japan in recent years. And Bella Feldman’s poetic work brings together metal, glass and found objects.
artists
Bella Feldman • Oakland, CA
Linda Fleming • Benicia, CA
Clay Jensen • Oakland, CA
Yoshitomo Saito • Denver, CO
Bella Feldman:
More photos of the exhibit after the jump…