New Center For A Growing Area
Continental Retail Development’s The Streets of Brentwood is expected to enliven a four-city area of booming Contra Costa County, California.
Randall Shearin

Continental Retail Development is developing The Streets of Brentwood for east Contra Costa County, California. The area has seen population nearly double since 2000 and demographics in the area are increasingly strong.

Historically a blue-collar area, east Contra Costa County has evolved into an affluent bedroom community, with upscale master-planned communities replacing heavy industries, which began departing or scaling back operations nearly a decade ago. Affordably priced housing has attracted professionals working in Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Livermore and beyond, according to Linda Maurer, manager of economic development for the city of Brentwood. Consequently, Brentwood’s population has nearly doubled from 23,000 to an estimated 45,000 since the 2000 Census. With nearby Oakley (a city that was just created in 1999), Antioch and Pittsburg experiencing similar growth, the combined population of the four-city area stands at about 240,000 and is expected to reach 260,000 by 2008. Maurer says, however, that this is a conservative estimate, as 5,000 new homes under way in her city alone will add 15,000 people.

Located on a 60-acre site, the Streets of Brentwood will include nearly 400,000 square feet of specialty retail shops, restaurants and entertainment. Anchored by a theatre complex and major bookstore, the center will include more than 40 specialty retailers and restaurants on the par of the company’s new Streets of Tanasbourne in Portland, Oregon, which includes national tenants such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, Coldwater Creek, Chico’s, Victoria’s Secret, Express, REI, Meier & Frank, Gap/Kids/Baby, Limited Too and P.F. Chang’s. “This is an outstanding project and an ideal location,” says CRD President David Kass.

“We will incorporate the best in California architecture and provide amenities that fit the region’s culture and lifestyle,” he adds. “We have completed many projects in the Midwest and Northeast where it’s difficult to create venues for year-round outdoor programming, but we’re taking advantage of the opportunity California’s climate provides.”

CRD is also setting aside 1.5 acres for green space that will be used for concerts, community events and other activities. 

“We’re excited to see this project coming to Brentwood,” says Maurer, noting that her city’s median annual household income is in excess of $80,000. “We’ve done a good job of getting a baseline of power center boxes here, but there’s nowhere you can go to walk, shop and dine.”

Maurer points out that the nearest regional shopping mall with quality retailers requires a 40-minute drive to Walnut Creek. “The deficit is in a high-end regional shopping experience, and Continental’s project will fill that void,” she says.

The Streets of Brentwood is strategically located at the future intersection of Sand Creek Road and the new Highway 4 Bypass, which is under construction. Sand Creek Road is currently the most well traveled route through the area, because it provides a central access to the city’s quaint downtown district and connects the city to nearby communities, notes Maurer.

“When the Highway 4 Bypass opens, that will be the way to travel,” she says, pointing out that this will put the project in the center of the region’s transportation hub. Maurer notes that after Continental breaks ground this fall, the center’s opening will coincide with completion of the new highway in late 2007.

“This project’s lifestyle aspect fits well with what we’re trying to create in our city,” says Maurer. “And from an economic standpoint, we know that it will not only create jobs, but generate significant tax revenues,” she adds, noting that based on sales at similar centers elsewhere in the region, the city projects tax revenue generated by the center will be about $1.6 million annually.

In addition to the Streets of Brentwood, CRD is currently under way on similar regional lifestyle centers in Chester, New Jersey, and Cranberry, Pennsylvania. The two centers are scheduled to open this fall.