Livermore Outlets Grand Opening Drew 350,000 Visitors

Bob Canning November 14, 2012 at 07:23 pm

I am usually not thrilled to see large new developments, but this one was planned nicely, and put in a proper location, with easy freeway acess and acess from town, without going on the freeway. I think most of the 84 traffic is due to the construction, which was not planned for the future expansion very well. We need more development like Paragon.

John Marchand November 14, 2012 at 07:52 pm

@Azuquita - Yes, Livermore did think of the locals. That is why we worked so hard to ensure that Jack London Boulevard was completed to the mall before the opening. Thursday afternoon, there was almost no back-up on Jack London, even when the freeway was jammed. Eventually, Pleasanton will complete Stoneridge Drive through to Jack London which will create another East-West corridor off of the freeway. Now that the initial excitement has settled down, traffic is geting back to normal. People were actually taking vacation days off work to attend the opening.

Stephan November 14, 2012 at 08:03 pm

I'm not sure what you mean by no access from Livermore, E. Jack London goes through all the way to the Outlet mall. My wife works there and that's how she gets there and where the employees park and take a shuttle bus in. I went by on Sunday and took that route, there was like 3 cars tops going that way and we pulled right into the parking area from there, nice and easy.

J November 14, 2012 at 08:04 pm

I'm sorry Mayor Marchand, but traffic SUCKED for locals just trying to get to and from Livermore! Thursday morning I had to take a friend to BART and the freeway was a night mare in BOTH directions! So I cut over to Valley and Stanley to come home and that was a nightmare too!!! One lane PACKED in each direction! The city should have had that streetscaping wrapped up or at least stopped until the opening gridlock was over! Saturday I had to go to Walnut Creek, it was so-so in the morning but in the afternoon, I came over the flyover from 680 south and traffic was backed to Hopyard! So I cut down Dublin Blvd and tried to get on at Fallon, I sat 20 min and didn't even go a mile! I saw 3 CHP officers standing there doing absolutely nothing!! I'm sorry but the city failed on dealing with the traffic, cops should have been out there to keep things moving. Is this what life is going to be like until January?! And truly, what does the road from 84 and Jack London get us? It doesn't connect into Pleasanton, just another place where we have to wait! That extension to Stoneridge needs to happen ASAP so that us locals can at least get around!

Stephan November 14, 2012 at 08:07 pm

I see the honorable mayor beat me to the punch. I for one am excited about this mall. I don't really plan to shop there but it'll bring in revenue for the city and more importantly a lot of jobs. My wife is happier to be working a lot closer than she was in San Ramon. Seems these days a lot of people refuse to see the silver lining at times.

J November 14, 2012 at 08:08 pm

I think overall the outlets will be a boon to the economy of Livermore, but the traffic situation needs to be dealt with ASAP! I dread ever having leave the area on a Friday when we have all the outlet traffic on top of the weekend traffic trying to leave town. There needs to be more ways to get around that area. Stoneridge needs to be extended to Livermore ASAP!

Michael Delfino November 14, 2012 at 09:53 pm

Anyone who says the opening weekend of the outlets was a failure is simply finding fault for the sake of finding fault. Anyone can see it was an enormous success. Sure, traffic sucked, but that's a very temporary issue that has already passed for the most part.
I'm not from the city, but I can tell you that very reasonable projections show the city receiving $1,000,000 a year, JUST from the outlets. That doesn't count the trickle down effect. For instance, my business has two new clients because they found jobs there, now allowing them to spend money on "disposable income" type of activities. I turned around and celebrated by going out to dinner with my fiance downtown. I don't know what the time frame is on the city seeing that money, but I can't possibly imagine it would be more than the end of the fiscal year. I don't know about the infrastructure in this particular case, but it's pretty commonplace in construction where the developer is liable for that. I'd guess the city gave them some tax breaks, streamlining permitting process, etc., but I'd bet Paragon was on the hook for the vast majority of that.

BobG November 14, 2012 at 10:07 pm

The food court is not up to the same caliber as the stores.

Analisa November 15, 2012 at 12:40 am

I wonder if this outlet mall will end up like the one in tracy. It started off good but now theres hardly any shoppers and a lot of the main stores that were good are gone. But on the upside you can get your shopping done fast.

K November 15, 2012 at 03:18 am

And I have a question hoping someone can answer who knows. Are they going to add on to this outlet because I've been there about 5 times and there are stores that I read where going to be there but aren't so I'm wondering if they are still building to this mall

Roger V. Tranfaglia November 15, 2012 at 01:15 pm

Apparently the "new phase" will go in where the dirt parking lot is now. (by the end of next year?) BTW They better lay something down on that dirt cause once it starts raining!!!!! No one will want to park in the MUD!

T. Brickle November 15, 2012 at 01:44 pm

@J-First off, the Stoneridge Drive extension from/to Pleasanton is out of Livermore's hands as it is in the City of Pleasanton so if you are upset about that, let Pleasanton officials know. Second, the fly-over at 580/680 can be backed up ANY DAY so blaming your difficult trip back home only on visitors to Paragon or the CHP is silly. Lastly, you should not blame the city or LPD for the gridlock on city streets. Blame the drivers who decide to drive into intersections when the traffic signal turns yellow even when they know they can't clear the intersection. Heaven forbid they would have to wait through another signal cycle! Instead, they sit in the middle of the intersection effectively blocking traffic in all directions. I don't have a possible explanation for the traffic woes on 580. I am not sure there is a solution to that back-up. It comes down to this: Leave a little earlier for planned trips, take a big breath and realize these are growing pains we are all going to have to deal with if we want our city to grow and prosper. I don't like it any more than you but it is a reality and it will get better, I assure you.

William November 15, 2012 at 03:49 pm

Thanks for the new traffic and making 580 even worse!! Once Black Friday hits you won't see any traffic relief until after the holidays!! People just can't help themselves when it comes to buying more & more junk they don't need, with it all supporting greed greed greed. I'm sure the new tax revenues will be put to great use....rolling eyes.

ItsMrMom2u November 15, 2012 at 04:29 pm

I was amazed at the weekend traffic. I cross
ed over I-580 on First street several times over the weekend. The traffic looked like rush hour, ah I mean crawl hour, during the week. Hopefully the traffic will calm down a bit after the holidays.

Mike S November 16, 2012 at 05:29 pm

It's ironic that the mayor says he thought of the Livermore residents by ensuring Jack London was completed. Rumor has it that he's the one that put the "El Charro" directional sign on the Isabel exit essentially directing out of town people to use Jack London Blvd.
Or maybe he is referring to the lack of a designated left turn lane for those exiting off 580 east. The parking spaces at a 90 degree angle instead of the much more efficient 45 degree angle was a brilliant move - maybe he was thinking of us there too. Go back to your hole donkey - you are pathetic.

Styler November 16, 2012 at 06:15 pm

Wow! Bitter much Mike S. I happen to believe that Mayor Marchand has been one of the best Mayors yet, and do you think that the Mayor has the final word in everything that happens in Livermore? If so, you are very much mistaken. Maybe you are the one that is being pathetic. Complaining about a short term issue such as traffic!!!!! Think of how the revenue generated from the outlets is going to help out Livermore. We live in a thriving community and I am proud to be part of it. If you aren't, then you should either go to some council meetings (if you don't already, and if you don't then you have no right to complain) or try to find a city better than Livermore in which to reside. I can guarantee that will be a difficult task.

MTOL November 16, 2012 at 08:15 pm

PS Perhaps the Patch could do a piece for us on the finances of the new outlet and how this will benefit Livermore. I'd be curious to see my questions (in my comment above) answered by someone who knows the details. Otherwise it is all just speculation and assumptions...

BobG November 16, 2012 at 08:31 pm

Visited the new shops yesterday between 10:30 and 12:30. No traffic and plenty of paved parking. I am really not an outlet shopper but I found the brands unique and so was the layout. It was enjoyable and comfortable to stroll down one lane and back up the other. Except for lack of outside sitting areas and some greenery, which I expect will come, I think it is a big hit for the city of Livermore.

Styler November 16, 2012 at 08:51 pm

Why don't you contact the council directly with your questions rather then assuming that they read the patch constantly. You may get faster answers that way.

Styler November 16, 2012 at 08:52 pm

I agree BobG, some little benches along the way would be nice.

MTOL November 16, 2012 at 10:03 pm

I contacted the City of Livermore to ask about the finances of the outlet and the bottom line is that the City of Livermore is expecting to net alot of money from these outlets. Glad to hear it! We also discussed some of the less tangible but still real benefits of adding world class shopping to our award winning downtown and world class wineries. A shopping mall isn't what I would have chosen, but now that it's there I do hope it will succeed in benefitting Livermore...

Becky November 19, 2012 at 01:03 pm

It seems like the reason for the freeway backup is that there are not enough parking spaces. Why were so few spaces planned for such a popular destination. Were city planners hoping people would take transit?
And a chunk of the $1,000,000 revenue will go to policing the new mall.

Rick November 19, 2012 at 02:25 pm

If you really want to go shopping here then go after 8pm and give commuters a break. We went on Saturday after dinner and had a good stroll around. You can tell many people are not from the area so after the initial rush, people should stay away for a while.

Georgia Choate November 19, 2012 at 03:54 pm

Hi Rick. I haven't been to the outlets yet and don't intend to try going 'til February! What does your last sentence mean? "You can tell many people are not from the area so after the initial rush, people should stay away for a while." Are you saying it might not be safe? And what do you mean by "a while"? When *will* be a good time?

Tom November 19, 2012 at 05:01 pm

As long as the shoppers fully understand that for the most part they are buying "made for outlet goods" and not standard product as a discount price then I say have at it. There is NO way I would go there while it is this busy but clearly this is not the case for mosts. Just be aware of what you are really buying this is NOT some way to get over on the major brands with special outlet bargains. They still have to manage a P&L and lower the cost by lowering the quality. My guess is most dont understand this because we live in a state that has no idea what a P&L is....

Alan November 19, 2012 at 06:05 pm

COACH vs. COACH Factory Store Outlet: One Brand, Two Separate Businesses
http://www.brandculture.com/blog/2010/06/when-is-a-coach-bag-not-really-a-coach-bag-when-its-from-the-coach-factory-store/

Becky November 19, 2012 at 08:28 pm

I know what Rick means: That many shoppers were from over the hill, and that after the initial Christmas rush, or maybe later, the mall will be less crowded, because the novelty will have worn off for people who have to drive farther to shop.

Janice P Ellis November 20, 2012 at 12:16 am

Don't worry about it, Azuquita; sometimes you just get that kind of thing here. It's called an opinion, but, some people will come back and flame you if your opinion doesn't line up with their own. I learned that several weeks ago when I made a comment that Justin Bieber is annoying. You would have thought I ran a little yellow school bus full of uniformed school children off a cliff or something.
I totally get where you're coming from. After a hard day at work, the last thing anyone wants to do is get stuck in a shopping mall traffic jam, when all you're trying to do is go home. Hopefully, things will get better for you and your fellow afternoon commuters in that regard after the "newness" of the mall wears off.

Georgia Choate November 20, 2012 at 01:49 pm

Thanks Becky.

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