After years of construction, planning, and hard work, the City Center Bishop Ranch is finally open to the public. 

The 300,000-square-foot center on Bollinger Canyon Road near the Target shopping center features 70 different shops and restaurants. 

The $300 million City Center also features a one-acre modern public square that is meant to be a gathering area, The LOT 10-screen luxury cinema, and an Equinox fitness club.

Some of the shops include Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, and Neeko. Shoppers can dine or grab a beverage at nearly two dozen eateries and beverage shops, including Ramen Hiroshi, Roam Artisan Burgers Delarosa, and Boba Guys.

The City Center also features parking in and surrounding the structure.

Sophomore Mia Santos got to preview the City Center before it opened on Nov. 8 when her engineering class toured it last month.

“When you’re inside, I feel like you can get the sense of how amazing of a project it is,” Santos said. 

Under construction since May 2017, the City Center was built by Sunset Development, the company that owns Bishop Ranch. 

Jeff Dodd, senior vice president of retail for Sunset Development, said he is excited to see how everyone will react to the City Center. Dodd has been working hard on this project to bring a unique place in the center of San Ramon that can’t be replicated anywhere else.

“It’s a really rewarding thing to do, to participate in a development like this and it can really 

bring a little bit more happiness to the people that live in the area or visit the area,” Dodd said. 

He also said he hopes people will enjoy what Sunset Development has worked on for about five years now. 

Randy Haberl, the project manager/estimator at BALI construction and one of the workers on the site, said he has worked on the project since the beginning of the year. 

He said the unique structure for the City Center has motivated him and other workers to spend 8-10 hours a day making it safe and sturdy. 

“I think San Ramon hasn’t had an identified downtown or anything like that, so this will kind of be the head of San Ramon,” Haberl said.

Despite the excitement surrounding the City Center, some students say there are some downsides to having such a large shopping center in San Ramon.

Like many people, Santos believes the opening of the City Center will bring a lot more traffic to the area, especially since Target and Whole Foods are right across the street.

“They built it in a place where they have lots of traffic,” sophomore Misha Bhatia said. 

But the convenience of having a new shopping center close to where many San Ramon residents live is a huge advantage, despite some of the problems that come with  attracting  a lot of people from outside the city.

 The area will be very crowded and traveling across town by car could take a lot longer than it already does.

Sophomore Ryan Birmingham also visited the City Center with his fellow engineering classmates last month.

He was impressed with the City Center’s nice, clean design.

Birmingham said he can’t wait to attend movies at The LOT, and have a new place to  hang out with his friends. 

He also is excited for the new employment opportunities the City Center will bring.

“I think it will give more opportunities to have new jobs for teenagers,” Birmingham said. 

Sophomore Julia Sung, feels that the City Center will modernize the city and give it more of an urban setting. 

She believes the City Center will bring people and the community together, making us form stronger bonds with one another. 

She also explains how the proximity is convenient for her and her friends, because the travel time is reduced.

“I think it will make San Ramon more urban, more modern, and bring some more people in life,” Sung said.

The City Center Bishop Ranch will have a big influence on the San Ramon community, both in its economy and social scene in the coming years.