North Bay Business Journal

Commentary: Time to tell Solano’s story

Four years of Solano County’s economic development studies has shown that we are not what other people think we are.

Many in the Bay Area and Sacramento see Solano as a pass through agricultural open space area devoted to suburban sprawl growth patterns with lower-income job opportunities. They wrongly believe that Solano is either on the Bay Area fringe or the in between rest stop when traveling between San Francisco and Sacramento.

LEED gold facility serves community

MARIN COUNTY, SAN RAFAEL – With a design and ambiance surpassing even the highest-income serving facilities, the Marin County Board of Supervisor’s decision to build a centralized wellness center for low-income residents is probably the best possible use of money won from a lawsuit against tobacco. The $32 million Marin Health and Wellness Campus is [...]

$50 million ‘Project Viva’ transforms Santa Rosa campus

Approximately 500,000 pounds of steel have been added to three Agilent Technologies buildings located at 1400 Fountaingrove Parkway in Santa Rosa.

SRJC is a gathering place for academic life

Santa Rosa Junior College’s new multilevel Lawrence A. Bertolini Student Services Center, scheduled for completion this month, brings together under one roof a number of vital student services previously disbursed across the Santa Rosa campus.

Ground-breaking project in 53-acre park

SONOMA – Bill Saks brought together Willie McDevitt and Ed Brush, owners of Petaluma-based commercial general contractor McDevitt & McDevitt, and 10 other investors to build the industrial condominiums. It was the first project to be built in the 53-acre Carneros Business Park, located along the Eighth Street East industrial corridor south of Sonoma. “The [...]

Club One of Petaluma – 41,000 square feet devoted to fitness

The new Club One, located on a four-acre parcel of land at 1201 Redwood Way in Petaluma, expands the traditional definition of a full-service fitness center.  About 400 members and guests come each day to the club visible from Highway 101 near Old Redwood Highway. In addition to the fitness facilities, community organizations such as [...]

Goldeneye winery

PHILO – In a county that markets itself as “America’s greenest wine region” for its long history of natural-minded methods, Duckhorn Wine Co. aims to raise a new symbol of environmentalism with its winery for the Goldeneye brand from Mendocino County. The winery, completed this summer in the Anderson Valley winegrowing region, has been registered [...]

Assisted living and memory care part of four-phase master plan

With more than two decades of experience in creating and enhancing lifestyle opportunities for seniors in Northern California, the Meadows of Napa Valley initiated a comprehensive renovation program as part a four-phase master plan designed to upgrade and reposition the 20-acre campus and expand its continuum of care. The Meadows of Napa Valley is owned [...]

Remake of San Rafael shopping center defies the odds

A major renovation of Marin County’s largest shopping center meant that city government and the property owner had to forgo some proceeds from sales in the mall during the 18-month project and the worst economy in seven decades.

Pepperwood Preserve – Connecting people to wildland heritage

NORTH BAY — In 1999, former high-tech executive Herb Dwight approached Santa Rosa Junior College President Robert Agrella to suggest a joint education program at Pepperwood Preserve, a 3,117-acre property in Sonoma County southeast of Santa Rosa.

Grape crop now seen as smaller than once feared

NORTH COAST – The 2009 winegrape crop in the region now is thought to be not as big as had been feared earlier in the growing season, but it is big enough for grapes still awaiting a home.

Renovations to fill vacancies may trigger disabilities act requirements

Commercial property owners who haven’t had vacancies in their buildings in years should be aware of increased scrutiny of disability-access problems in federal courts as well as a new state defense against such lawsuits, according to the city’s top construction watchdog.

Marin Commons foreclosure sends shudders

The foreclosure on one of the North Bay’s largest commercial properties earlier this month brought home a national debate over whether commercial mortgages will be the next wave of problems for the economy.

Four leading Napa brokers start own firm

Four commercial real estate brokers have formed a new brokerage in Napa.

Local institutions, vision keys to challenging times

NORTH BAY – Keeping money and resources in the community was the underlying theme of Impact Marin, the third-annual issues-centered conference sponsored by the Business Journal and focused on Marin County.

SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES: Varenna at Fountaingrove, Santa Rosa

Set among oaks high atop the rolling hills north of Santa Rosa overlooking Fountain Grove Lake, Varenna is a gated retirement community offering residents beauty, comfort and security within a complex of Mediterranean-style buildings combining a classic wine country architectural motif with a hint of Italian influence.