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Bank of America customers in Pleasanton are set to have one fewer location available to them next year, with the downtown financial center being one of the more than 20 branches and ATM locations in the Bay Area slated for closure in the near future.
The Bank of America branch at 337 Main St. is set to close its doors on Aug. 20 and consolidate to a single Pleasanton location on Stoneridge Drive.
“The Main Street center was closed from the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020 through December of 2022, but while we reopened it 11 months ago we have not seen the return customer traffic there,” Bank of America spokesperson Colleen Haggerty told the Weekly.
The downtown location is set to close at the end of its current lease, according to Haggerty. The bank ceded some of its tenant space in the building in recent years as part of an expansion at the property that brought Zachary’s Chicago Pizza in as a next-door neighbor.
Haggerty emphasized that customers will continue to have access to the same services via the remaining branches, including Stoneridge Drive. “We will still have four other full service financial centers within a few miles, and feel that this mix of retail presence and digital capabilities supports our clients’ banking needs,” she said.
Staff at the downtown location are set to remain with the company, with no layoffs planned, according to Haggerty.
“There will be no impact to employees as they will be able to transfer to roles at one of our many other financial centers in the East and North bays,” Haggerty said.
Haggerty said that the company’s decision is part of an effort to adjust to current customer needs and banking practices, including the increased popularity and accessibility of online options.
“Today, people use digital banking more than ever for their everyday financial needs, and come into financial centers for more complex transactions or discussions about their finances,” Haggerty said. “So we have been adjusting our retail network where centers are located in close proximity to one another, or where client traffic has diminished significantly.”
The downtown Pleasanton closure is the only one in the move nationwide by Bank of America to impact the Tri-Valley, with locations in Dublin and Livermore remaining open for the foreseeable future.
I believe this is very good news for downtown. BofA has been a very poor neighbor for many years with its absurd and over the top restrictions on anyone parking in their mostly empty parking lot, regardless of day or time of day. Hopefully, someone will do something nice and useful and provide some much-needed parking!
Yes, agree with the above post. Plus maybe Zachary’s can bust down the wall and expand!
B of A can hardly complain about lack of business after the lockdowns, as they have not been open for service on a regular schedule and have forced people to make appointments for every banking service. They have forced on-line banking with the expressed intent to eliminate in-person services including Safe Deposit Boxes. So no surprise their downtown branch activity is minimal.
Hopefully the City will seize this opportunity to negotiate with the land owner to develop a parking garage on that property that will offer safe, free and convenient parking for many cars frequenting Main Street restaurants and businesses including the Farmers’ Market. Not everyone who spends money downtown rides a bike or walks or even uses Uber to do business or enjoy our city. If the City wants to encourage Main Street businesses to thrive, then a City owned and operated garage on that lot is necessary. Check out Napa’s revitalized downtown with at least 5 convenient free parking garages and San Mateo’s downtown garages with ATM’s and pedestrian-friendly services/ businesses. Maybe PDA can use their influence for a good cause now that B of A has bailed on our downtown.
Parking structure > 4 story residential…