Livermore To Get New Senior Housing, Eateries, Preschool, Nail Salon And More

LIVERMORE, CA — Construction is expected to begin next year on a 128-unit senior housing facility with medical and office space in Livermore.

The Livermore City Council approved plans for The Well at Sunset at its Nov. 9 meeting.

The facility sits on 13 acres at the former Sunset Office Plaza on the northeast corner of Holmes Street and Concannon Boulevard. It has been vacant since 2013 and was built in 1978.

Investment firm Mana Investments acquired the property in 2018 because the complex was in a prime location but neglected, Orville Power, a managing partner at the firm, said at the City Council meeting.

It was in disrepair and occupied by people without housing after the previous owner canceled all tenant leases and submitted a proposal to replace it with a single-family neighborhood development, which was denied, he said.

Construction on the 130,000-square-foot housing facility was expected to begin between October and December 2022. Residents will have access to trails and 3.5 acres of outdoor space that wraps around the housing and office areas.

The facility will include space for independent living, assisted living and memory care residents in studio and one- and two-bedroom units.

The 49,000 square feet of "office and lifestyle space" across six single-story buildings were expected to open by spring 2022, according to a statement from Mana Investments and Hunter Street Partners, another investment company.

The proposal included 161 parking spots and 35 bicycle spaces for the office area, plus another 59 spaces for the assisted living facility, according to a city report on the proposal.

The overall footprint of buildings on the property will remain the same, though significant infrastructure and aesthetic improvements were underway, including murals.

A third of office spaces at the site have already been leased, according to the statement. A bagel and coffee shop, cafe, pizza shop, tasting room patio, nail salon, preschool and Allstate Insurance Co. office were among those who planned to set up shop at The Well at Sunset, according to the statement. Lease negotiations were underway for a dentist, therapist, orthodontist, chiropractor, medical spa and real estate brokerage firm as well.

Some nearby residents expressed concern about potential noise from the eating and drinking establishments. Those tenants were placed fronting the intersection, Councilmember Brittni Kiick said at the meeting.

"I really doubt even the loudest laugh is going to be louder than the traffic that's on those roads," she said.

The council's approval of the project required rezoning. The area where housing was planned was previously designated for office space, while the area slated for commercial development was previously slated as commercial office space.

Mayor Bob Woerner said that when the council considers whether it should rezone the site, members must ask whether the project is good, compatible with the neighborhood and what neighbors think of the proposal.

"We don't rezone lightly ... This checks all the criteria," he said.

Get more details on The Well at Sunset, including prospective tenants.