Paris Architect Brings European Flair to City Center

City Center Bishop Ranch will feature 300,000 square feet of retail in a one-acre piazza.

SAN RAMON, CA—Work has begun on the long-anticipated retail piazza, as demolition began on four of the property’s oldest office buildings, known as Bishop Ranch 2. With this, Bishop Ranch took the first concrete steps toward the creation of an innovative retail destination that will blend shopping, dining, culture, community and commerce. Replacing the old buildings will be City Center Bishop Ranch , a reinvention of the American suburban shopping center. City Center will feature 300,000 square feet of retail around a one-acre piazza in Bishop Ranch. The center will include approximately 75 stores and will be anchored by a 10-screen luxury movie theater, several restaurants, along with a mix of distinctive stores and services. This retail will be within walking and bicycling distance for more than 30,000 employees, and within close proximity of other East Bay communities. Alexander Mehran , Jr., president and COO of Sunset Development Company , tells GlobeSt.com: “Our aim in building City Center is to create an animated civic space that serves the community in many ways, night and day, in every season. So we’re excited that demolition has begun and that we’re that much closer to completing the project.” City Center Bishop Ranch is a project of the acclaimed Renzo Piano Building Workshop , headquartered in Paris. Renzo Piano is an internationally renowned, Pritzker Prize-winning architect. In 2006, TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Among his many acclaimed works are the new building of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, The Shard in London, Europe’s tallest skyscraper, and the acclaimed new Whitney Museum in New York City. “We’re thrilled to begin creating the long-anticipated City Center Bishop Ranch, starting with the demolition of BR2. We look forward to creating a beautiful and vibrant live, work, play environment for the employees and residents of Bishop Ranch, San Ramon and the entire East Bay community,” says Mehran. The demolition is expected to last three to four weeks. Bishop Ranch, created by Sunset Development Company, is home to more than 600 companies.