Hall Equities Group has signed a lease with Amy’s Kitchen for a family friendly, sustainable, organic restaurant with drive-through at their proposed 2nd & Main development. The Amy’s Drive Thru, along with a new Sherwin Williams store, and improvements to the adjacent Masse’s parking lot will comprise the development at the corner of 2nd Avenue and North Main Street in Walnut Creek. While the existing Service Commercial (S-C) zoning would have allowed a broad range of commercial and light industrial uses and tenants for the property, Hall Equities Group is pleased that they were able to secure a tenant that is so well suited for the neighborhood.
Amy’s Kitchen is a Bay Area based, family-owned company that is a pioneer in the organic food movement and is committed to sustainability. Amy’s Drive-Thru restaurants, launched in Rohnert Park in 2014, serve great-tasting casual vegetarian fare – all with gluten free and dairy free options. The restaurants are family oriented and do not serve alcohol. While named for their drive-through feature, most customers dine-in. However, Amy’s is passionate about offering drive-through because of the benefits for parents with small children, as well as seniors and those with mobility issues.
Conceptual plans for the restaurant at 2nd & Main also include an inviting outside patio seating area, a living roof, solar panels, and the use of upcycled materials.
“We are focusing on providing the neighborhood with delicious and affordable organic food in a beautiful, community-oriented restaurant where all feel welcome,” said Dave Wolfgram, President of Amy’s Drive Thru Restaurants.
Hall Equities Group and Amy’s have been reaching out to the community to listen to comments about the proposed development before making a formal application to the City of Walnut Creek for a Conditional Use Permit for Amy’s drive-through.
This is not the first time Hall Equities Group has expended significant time and resources exploring viable uses for the 2nd & Main Development. In 2017, the company withdrew an application for an In-N-Out Burger when the community raised concerns. At the time of the withdrawal, Hall Equities Group CEO Mark Hall reiterated the company’s commitment to Walnut Creek and its vision for the future when exploring alternate uses for the site. “We will continue to work with area residents, as we have with our other projects, to shape developments that suit the needs and personalities of the community, while being financially viable for our locally-based investors who invest their personal capital in improving the region,” Hall said.
The company has received interest from numerous potential tenants for uses that would be allowed under the existing zoning at 2nd & Main, including a service station and carwash, a maintenance and repair shop, a national hamburger chain that would serve alcohol, and a Home Depot store. The service station would also require a Conditional Use Permit, but the hamburger and alcohol tenant would not because it would have no drive through. The Home Depot would have required the acquisition of some adjacent property, which Hall Equities Group was unable to secure. There was also considerable interest from other potential tenants that would have required rezoning. However, in consideration of the neighborhood’s previous concerns, and in keeping with the existing zoning, Hall Equities Group selected Amy’s due to its family friendly culture.
Hall Equities Group has been actively involved in Walnut Creek development for many years and has had a significant impact on the area. During the economic downturn when other developers were giving little attention to north Walnut Creek, the company recognized the need for services in the North Main Street corridor and made substantial investments in the area, redeveloping blighted properties with older commercial and industrial structures into thriving retail centers. 680 Center was built on the site of a heavy industrial cement and asphalt manufacturing plant, and Geary Marketplace was built on the site of an old Co-Op market that had sat vacant and boarded up for 35 years.
“It was a real challenge in that economic climate, but we succeeded in bringing in quality retailers and services like Sprouts, a healthy neighborhood market, and a large 24 Hour Fitness, that would provide real value and convenience for the people in the immediate neighborhood, rather than businesses that would predominantly draw people from outside the area.”