The road to revitalizing Pleasanton’s Main Street

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Strolling through downtown Pleasanton, it’s hard for many to look past the vacant storefronts — seemingly one a block, if not more; some deserted for years, others emptied only recently.

For David Zimpfer, who moved to Pleasanton in the early 2000s for its schools and lively downtown, it feels his city’s downtown is stagnant while others, like Livermore, thrive.

“The vitality has been sucked out of Pleasanton,” Zimpfer told the Weekly. “The downtown is not as vibrant as it once was.”

But for local officials, business owners and those invested in downtown’s economic vitality, like the Pleasanton Downtown Association’s first-year executive director, Gabrielle Welk, a lot of those negative assumptions don’t quite capture the entire narrative and the PDA’s optimistic plans for the future of downtown.

“Our goal is to continue evolving downtown Pleasanton in a way that feels intentional, curated and community-centered,” Welk told the Weekly. “Not just commercially successful, but culturally meaningful.”

Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch echoed those sentiments, saying he appreciates partnerships like the one the city has with the PDA because of how much the organization has done and continues to do for downtown’s vibrancy.

“Their efforts showcase our downtown as a true gem for our community,” Balch told the Weekly. “Looking ahead to 2026, I’m confident we’ll continue identifying additional opportunities to improve city processes and explore new ways to support our business community.”

From its historic neighborhood and vintage aesthetic, to its niche businesses and ethnically diverse cuisine, Main Street and the surrounding area has plenty to offer for residents and visitors alike.

It’s no secret that downtown Pleasanton has seen its share of businesses leaving over the past year too, including Starbucks, Main Street Brewery, PRIMM Boutique and Middle 8.

“It is disappointing to see,” City Councilmember Julie Testa said in regard to some of the businesses that have vacated downtown.

While PRIMM left due to structural issues with its older building and Main Street Brewery owners decided it was time to retire, Welk said Starbucks left its unit in the heart of downtown simply because the coffee giant decided it needed to scale back its operations.

“The company said this was part of a strategic effort to focus on quality over sheer quantity, strengthen its core business, and create better-performing, more inviting cafes,” Welk said. “This was not a reflection on the economic stability of downtown.”

Testa pointed out that, according to her own research, downtown Pleasanton — located in her district — has a vacancy rate of about 5% to 7%, which more or less coincides with other historic downtowns across the country.

“While it feels like it’s a lot more, that is considered a relatively modest vacancy,” Testa said. “It isn’t as significant as it feels when we drive downtown because we didn’t used to have that much. But it isn’t an uncommon and, certainly a current, percentage.”

But Zimpfer and others find it difficult to accept that downtown’s vibrancy is not in decline when they observe frequent store closures in Pleasanton while neighboring downtown Livermore sees new businesses constantly opening.

“I don’t see any evidence of anything that’s been done,” Zimpfer said. “All I see is more vacancies and it’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to walk by or drive by and look at storefront after storefront that’s papered up.”

According to Welk, the fact is that there is a lot of movement happening in downtown Pleasanton — it’s just happening behind the scenes.

“It’s important to note that vacancy in a downtown like Pleasanton is dynamic,” Welk said. “Spaces turn over, concepts evolve and long-term opportunities often take time to align properly. Some larger spaces, like the Christesen’s building and the former Starbucks, naturally take longer to reposition due to size, buildout costs, and the type of tenant they require.”

On the topic of the “Pleasanton Variety Store” building, empty since Christesen’s closed in 2021 after 92 years in business, Welk shared that the unit has an unnamed tenant that is looking to split the space in two with plans of converting one half into a boutique retail space. 

“Many spaces may seem vacant from the outside, but they actually have tenants that are making major improvements inside that take time,” Welk said. “We are planning to update the community through window wraps and newsletters so they know what is going on.”

She also said while it does take time to remodel historic buildings — upgrading the building structures to meet modern codes and amenities without degrading its historical quality — it’s important to maintain that historic feel because those spaces are part of the city’s identity.

“The architectural details, materials and scale of historic buildings are what give downtown its charm and sense of place, and once those elements are lost, they can’t be recreated,” Welk said.

“Preserving historic character also has long-term economic value,” she added. “People are drawn to downtown Pleasanton precisely because it feels distinct, walkable and rooted in history, not generic or interchangeable with other commercial centers. When renovations respect that character, they strengthen downtown’s appeal, support local businesses, and protect property values over time.”

While she acknowledged any business departure is felt on some level, especially if it’s a well-known or established store in the community, she said the downtown’s vitality isn’t “defined by one or two closures; it’s defined by the overall ecosystem”.

“We’re seeing continued interest in downtown Pleasanton and active conversations around several key properties,” Welk said. “We’ve also seen steady leasing activity over the past year, particularly with locally owned businesses and independent operators, which is consistent with the character of our downtown.” 

“From the PDA’s perspective, the focus isn’t just on filling space quickly, it’s about attracting the right businesses that add long-term value, complement the district, and strengthen the overall mix,” Welk added.

To attract businesses, current stakeholders said there are some issues that still need to be addressed, including improving the communication and relationship between tenants and landlords.

One former downtown business owner who had some troubling experience on that front is Rick Dobbs, owner of the Middle 8 bar that closed earlier this month.

While opening during the height of the pandemic proved to be one of his biggest challenges, Dobbs said his landlord charging rent even though he had to shut the bar down completely at the time did not help.

“The landlord definitely played his hand as far as how he thinks about us and what he does with his tenants,” Dobbs said.

KDCI Development LLC, a real estate investment group, bought the property along with several other plots of land during those early pandemic years, Dobbs said. The Weekly reached out to the real estate group for comment but did not hear back.

Dobbs said he feels like a few landlords seem to own a lot of the property downtown, making it feel like businesses are dispensable and can be easily replaced if they don’t work out, especially if those landlords have already paid off their mortgages, he said.

“If it sits empty for them it’s not a huge deal,” Dobbs said.

Testa offered similar sentiments, saying, “I personally don’t even understand … why a property owner leaves those properties open.” For that, and other reasons, Testa had floated the idea of introducing a vacancy tax but her fellow City Council members did not entertain that idea. 

Still, Testa said the city needs to assess other possible solutions in order to get those spaces filled and continue improving downtown’s vitality, rather than just talking about doing it.

“I want (to find) a way to incentivise those too-long vacant sites,” Testa said. She mentioned pop-up stores as a possible solution.

“That’s the problem: when discussion doesn’t become action,” Testa said. “We need that action.”

Another big challenge Dobbs said he has had with doing business downtown was the rent and overall pricing for tenants. He said it feels like he is paying the price of doing business in areas like Walnut Creek but is not seeing the foot traffic that is typically seen in those areas.

Dobbs said in Livermore, where he previously owned two restaurants, the rent is worth it because the city and its downtown organizations invest more in maximizing the vitality of downtown Livermore.

That isn’t to imply that organizations like the PDA aren’t doing anything, Dobbs said. In fact, he and several others had nothing but praise for the PDA and, particularly, for Welk after she has proven to really care about the downtown’s vitality and has committed to revitalizing the area.

“She’s the one who’s going to make it happen, finally,” Dobbs said of Welk.

To that end, Welk said the PDA’s goals for the new year include supporting business retention and attracting new tenants, beautifying the downtown’s physical spaces, and building the community’s connection with its downtown to turn it into something more than just a retail corridor.

Property owners like Bruce Torquemada, a longtime resident who owns several properties including the Kottinger Barn plaza, said he appreciates the work Welk is doing at the PDA, which is why he decided to join the organization’s vitality board.

“I don’t feel like you can complain about it unless you’re willing to do something about it,” Torquemada said.

And it’s people like Torquemada and Welk whom Dobbs said can make a real difference in downtown Pleasanton’s vitality in the near future.

But to Torquemada, there needs to be a lot of collaboration and understanding from everyone so that people can see eye to eye on issues and figure out ways to bring some more life to Main Street.

“Pleasanton needs a better overall vision,” Torquemada said.

One business that recently opened, which Torquemada said is bringing new life and vision to downtown, is Planta Coffee House and Deli because of how it remodeled the corner of 700 Main St. 

Germano Carlucci, the owner of both spots, told the Weekly that after opening Brava Garden Eatery up the block in 2019, it was the residents and the overall Pleasanton community who saved his restaurant from going under during the pandemic.

As a way to repay Pleasanton for its support, he felt it was only right to give back with opening another restaurant, he said. That’s why, in 2023, he purchased the building that now houses Planta Coffee House and Deli which officially opened in late November.

But one thing that really bothered Carlucci about downtown Pleasanton was the process of even opening up a business in the first place. That sentiment was echoed by other business and commercial property owners the Weekly spoke to.

Carlucci said at a city level, it’s hard for him to ever think of going through the process of opening up a business ever again, saying the city permitting process felt worse than going to the Department of Motor Vehicles. 

“In Livermore, you blink and then you have a new restaurant … and a huge parking lot out of the blue,” Carlucci said. 

Despite the city making several efforts recently to streamline its permitting process, Carlucci said it’s going to take some time to trust city hall after years of seeing a dysfunctional permitting system.

Dobbs shared similar sentiments and said that apart from the diverse business makeup of downtown Livermore, that city’s permitting process has been easier than Pleasanton’s.

“I used the same architect for my places in Livermore and here and when I said hey we’re going to do a place in Pleasanton, he was like oh are you sure?” Dobbs said.

Torquemada, who has been vocal about his disdain for the city’s permitting process, said he is excited to see the city’s continued efforts to improve — and at the end of the day, one of the main things Pleasanton needs to do to better its downtown economic vitality is to make it more inviting and easy for new tenants to move in.

“Over the past year, the city has worked to streamline permitting and improve coordination so small businesses can open, expand and reinvest in downtown, and frankly, throughout Pleasanton more efficiently,” Balch said. “We’ve been working to better align Economic Development and Planning functions to support these goals. I believe that reducing uncertainty in the permitting process is one of the most direct ways the city can support economic vitality, and we’ve made great progress.” 

While Torquemada is hopeful for the future, he noted that it’s going to take some time to turn the ship around.

He said he is also glad that Welk is at the helm of the PDA because of her proven success with the end-of-year programming in downtown during the holiday season and her continued positive attitude toward the future of downtown Pleasanton.

“Downtown Pleasanton continues to show strong indicators of health: consistent foot traffic, strong event attendance, high community engagement, and a growing number of locally owned and experiential businesses,” Welk said. 

“While the departure of places like Starbucks or Main Street Brewery naturally creates a visible gap, it hasn’t diminished the district’s overall energy or identity,” she added. “In many ways, transitions create opportunities for new concepts that better reflect where downtown is headed; more experiential, more community-driven and more unique to Pleasanton.”

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