Rama Mehra
San Ramon Real Estate Specialist
Dougherty Valley Community Center in Windemere, San Ramon
The U. S. Census shows San Ramon is a moderately-sized community that grew
at a faster rate than both the County and the Bay Area over the last decade.
Between 1990 and 2005, San Ramon’s population grew from 25,300 to 51,027.
As the
accelerate rapidly over the next 10 years. Bay Area Economics (BAE) reports
that the estimated household income for San Ramon indicates an affluent
community, with a median house income of $109,900. The 2000 Census shows
that 24.6% of San Ramon employed residents work in management positions.
Census also indicates that almost 53% of San Ramon residents 25 years and
older have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
The plans for the
a community center, a 40,000 square foot library (opened in fall 2005), and a
165,000 square foot
2006). The developers have completed approximately 6,500 residential units
and anticipate a build out schedule of 1,000 units per year. This development
combined with other new units identified in the City’s General Plan will double
the City’s households
San Ramon offers a high quality of life, with clean and safe neighborhoods, an
extensive series of parks and trails, multiple recreation opportunities sponsored by the City, and an attractive natural setting. The San Ramon Parks and
Community Services Department provides a wide variety of cultural, sporting
and educational events and programming for all segments of the San Ramon
community.
In 2004 the Parks and Community Services Department processed
over 34,000 registrations for its award-winning programs and activities. A
well-educated professional population and an excellent public school system
further enhance the City’s appeal. The BAE reports that San Ramon’s
demographic profile, rapid growth and concentration of baby-boomers and
younger households with high incomes suggests demand for home-oriented
stores, specialty goods, apparel, and entrepreneurial growth is high.
The 28,500 square foot
square foot Dougherty Station Library are located within the “
the new communities of Windemere and Gale Ranch in San Ramon. At
completion, the
(roughly 33,000 in population), 18 parks, 5 schools, and a 41.3 acre retail
component referred to as the
The
the convergence of pedestrian, vehicular and transit linkages. The project will
be developed in three phases over a period of ten years from north to south. It
is envisioned that the
feet of community serving civic and retail uses. The first phase of the Village
Center will include the
Community College and daycare facility. The second phase of the Village
Center will include an expansion of the Community College, expansion of the
library, 56,000 square feet of retail and 62,000 square feet of residential and
the third phase will include 205,000 square feet of retail, residential and office
space.
Prior to the second and third phase (projected to begin in 2 to 6 years), the
closest retail to the
south and southwest located on
to the west located at
neighborhood shopping center will be built 2 miles to the northwest located at
The Community Center is 28,500 square feet in size and houses the Police
Substation (4,500 square feet). It is located on the south side of the site and
opens up to the interior for pedestrian access and gathering.
The 2-story
a three-story rotunda in the middle housing a 90-seat lecture/performing
space; a fully equipped kitchen with demonstration area for classes; a large
multi-purpose room with sport court flooring and 25-foot high ceilings, making
it multi functional for sports and health and fitness classes as well as seating
for 200 for social gatherings; a toddler/preschool room; a lounge/games room;
a dedicated teen activity room; a dance studio; an art room; enclosed
registration area; two dedicated conference/meeting rooms; concession area
and recreation staff offices.
In the future (3 – 6 years), the Community Center will be located near retail
opportunities, making this an attractive space for after-school activities,
especially with the new middle school,
(opened fall of 2005) directly across
The Police Substation within the Community Center will provide support
services to the neighborhoods, and will be open during regular business hours.
Support services similar to those at the main Police Offices on Camino Ramon
will be provided here at the Dougherty Valley Sub-Station. Those police
services include youth services and diversion, investigation, police reports,
traffic citation write-offs, and most other police services you come to rely on
living in San Ramon. The Sub-Station will also house the
officers who patrol the
residents to access police services.
The Dougherty Valley Library is planned as a cooperative joint-use operation
with Diablo Valley College/DVC with their 165,000 square foot facility adjacent
to the Community Center and Library. The library will be built in two phases.
The first phase to be built will be the City portion of the library consisting of
11,600 square feet. The second phase of the library will expand the facility by
approximately 30,000 square feet. However, the eventual expansion at the
library will not take place until the College District’s second phase commences,
which the District anticipates will be anywhere from five to seven years based
on student enrollment and state funding. At completion, the
Joint Use Library will be more than 40,000 square feet in size.
The Dougherty Valley Library has been designed to incorporate new technology
and efficient service with a raised floor for writing, an automated check-in
system, self-service request books, and express checkout. It is designed to be
very flexible so when the community college library is added, the areas for
children and teens can be expanded.
Library will focus primarily on the needs of children and teens, with an emphasis on collections, programs and unique seating areas for children of all ages. The collections will emphasize curriculum support topics for kindergarten through high school, as well as recreational reading for pre-school through high school. There will be a small collection of popular material and magazines for adults, focused on topics such as gardening, home decorating, travel, health and exercise. The main adult collection and reference facility for adults will continue to be in the City’s current Library.
