October 28, 2005

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Publication Date: Friday, October 28, 2005

Ruby Hill protests kill upscale mall plan

A Georgia developer said Wednesday it has canceled its plans to build a multi-million-dollar upscale shopping center at Isabel and Vineyard avenues after members of the Pleasanton Planning Commission said they would never approve it.

Terry Potter, a consultant to Flexxon Operating Ltd. of Sugar Hill, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, said he was surprised by the abruptness of the commission, which made its decision informally at a special workshop session to consider the project.

"It was obvious that their minds were made up before we ever made our presentation," Potter said. "I think what we were planning to build would have been a benefit to the community and brought sizeable sales tax revenue to the city."

But 11 Ruby Hill homeowners who spoke at the workshop disagreed.

Maribeth Detweiler said her home on Santel Court faces directly toward the 54-acre vineyard where Flexxon's proposed Vineyard Shoppes at Ruby Hill would have been located. She said she didn't move to the Ruby Hill location to look at "blank walls and dumpsters."

Julie Lynch of Ruby Hill Drive said she purchased her home for the views of the golf course and vineyards. Allowing a shopping center at the northeastern corner of Ruby Hill "would be a 180-degree change" from the intended zoning and uses there, she added.

Others questioned if the proposed 50,000-square-foot complex of upscale grocery and retail stores and restaurants would be economically viable. They compared the proposed center to the Blackhawk Shopping Center in Danville, which Realtor Dave Cunningham of Pomino Way told planners "is not doing well economically with eight times the number of homes surrounding it."

Kara Simone of Casalino Court said she had initially supported the project, but after hearing Flexxon describe its proposed center, she was now opposed. She noted that the Blackhawk center is frequently empty and cited the nearly-deserted Vintage Hills Center as another location where retail businesses have not been able to compete with the Pleasanton downtown and other shopping centers.

Only Eric Wente, president of Wente Bros. winery, who owns the 54-acre corner parcel that is now planted in grapes, spoke in favor of the Flexxon project. He said the project would reflect the types and style of activity required to move the Livermore Valley vinticulture area ahead and to help the Wente family operations and other vintners be more competitive.

He also said that the site could stay as it is and become a demonstration winemaking center, with crushing and bottling operations on site that could produce 10,000 to 15,000 cases of wine a year. At an earlier meeting with the Ruby Hill Homeowners Association, he indicated that a winemaking operation would involve acreage close to Ruby Hill homes, whereas the proposed Flexxon commercial center would be located only on four acres at the far corner of the site.

"Our proposed commercial center would have taken up only 50,000 square feet, which is miniscule," Flexxon's Terry Potter said. "It was going to be a small jewel. Filling it with upscale tenants would have never been a problem."

"It's likely now that Ruby Hill will be faced with a winery, tasting room, loading and production equipment and the aroma that comes with winemaking," he added. "But the community has spoken, or at least 10 from Ruby Hill out of the 1,000 we notified, and the Planning Commission listened to them. For whatever reason, those five commissioners don't want us, so we're moving on."




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