CITY OF SAN RAMON by Amazon Stones

San Ramon (from Spanish: San Ramón meaning: St. Raymond; formerly Lynchville and Limerick) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is a part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 44,722 at the 2000 census.

San Ramon is a suburb of San Francisco, Oakland, and Silicon Valley. As the location of the former headquarters of the company formerly known as Pacific Bell (later SBC, now AT&T), it is the home of Dilbert (Scott Adams worked there before creating the Dilbert comic strip). It is also home to the headquarters of Chevron Corporation and 24-Hour Fitness, Diablo Valley College, San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center, and two public high schools: California High School and Dougherty Valley High School.

On April 24, 2001, San Ramon received the title Tree City USA.

The city of San Ramon and Sunset Development Co. will partner to develop the new San Ramon City Center or Downtown on 40 acres (16 ha) within Bishop Ranch at the intersection of Bollinger Canyon Road and Camino Ramon. The site consists of four properties, two are owned by the City and two are owned by Sunset Development. The four properties are an 11.5-acre (4.7 ha) site just west of Central Park, a combined 9-acre (3.6 ha) site south of Bollinger and east of Camino Ramon, a 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) site just east of Chevron, to Camino Ramon, and the existing 14-acre (5.7 ha) Bishop Ranch 2 office complex. The project consists of three primary components: a major mixed use development on the 14-acre (5.7 ha) and 11.5-acre (4.7 ha) sites consisting of approximately 635,000 square feet (59,000 m2) of high quality retail, 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of second floor retail or office space, a 169 room upscale hotel, and approximately 487 residential units; City Hall, Library and Transit Center on the 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) site, and a 682,000-square-foot (63,400 m2) Class A office complex on the 9-acre (3.6 ha) site. The San Ramon City Center project has completed the entitlement process and has now moved into the preconstruction phase of the project. The City's partner in this project, Sunset Development, presented a detailed project schedule at the San Ramon City Council meeting on June 24, 2008. (Link to City Center Project Schedule) The entire project is expected to be completed by November, 2012. The Plaza District, the primary mixed use component of the project, is expected to be completed by October, 2011. The Plaza District will feature retail and dining opportunities, a public plaza, hotel, independent cinema and a mix of residential units. The City Center project also includes a New City Hall, Library, Transit Center and new office development. In total, the City Center project consists of approximately 2,000,000-square-foot (190,000 m2) of office space on a 40-acre (16 ha) site.

"Developing a City Center has been a dream for more than 20 years and dates back to the City's incorporation in 1983," said Herb Moniz, City Manager of the City of San Ramon. "The City Council is very excited about the prospect of creating a City Center that meets our economic development goals and provides a dynamic gathering place for the entire community of San Ramon."

"We are especially pleased that the San Ramon City Center project, so long in the making, will come to life at Bishop Ranch," said Alex Mehran, president and CEO of Sunset Development Company. "Sunset Development Company is proud to be part of this historic project that will enable the City to accomplish its planning objective of the creation of a city center, and will boost employment and economic development in San Ramon."

The City Center project is a true partnership between the City and Sunset Development. This is a shining example of how well the City works with the business community, and how the City actively works through partnerships to improve the quality of life in San Ramon.

Points of interest

• Crow Canyon Gardens
• Forest Home Farms Historical Site
• Iron Horse Regional trail
• Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
• Old Ranch Park
• San Ramon Central Park