Six years in the making, and now it's finally happening. Illinois-based Tharaldson Hospitality Management LLC is breaking ground on a four-story, 124-room Hilton Garden Inn in Walnut Creek. Located at 460-90 Lawrence Way, the property sits adjacent to I-680. 

With high visibility and accessibility, it's a prime location for the business traveler. City officials are hoping it will spark a new wave of development and energize the area.

Down the road, Stratus Development Partners is constructing a new four-story, 155-room Cambria Hotel on the former Black Angus site, on the border of Walnut Creek, at 3131 N. Main Street in Pleasant Hill.

The property market continues to heat up. Kimco Realty’s 115,000-square-foot Olympia Place retail property—home to Fleming’s, Starbucks, Century 14— hit the market for a reported $47 million. It’s a heavy hitter,  joining Hall Equities’ Centre Place 1 across the street—Habit Burger, Charles Schwaab—listed at $21 million.

As first reported in the San Francisco Business Times, Los Angeles developer, Cityview, has submitted plans to the city for an ambitious mixed-use development on the 1.56-acre parcel formerly occupied by the DMV at 1910 North Broadway.

The design envisions two six-story buildings, comprising 140 residential units and 2,500 SQF of ground-floor retail space. It also includes a host of amenities: a fitness center, community room, pool/spa courtyard, open-air roof decks, and a publicly accessible open space plaza between the buildings. 

On August 8, the City Council approved an amendment to the General Plan, enabling Walnut Creek Honda to proceed with the sale of their land to a housing developer. 

By changing the land use designation to multi-family, plans for a 284-unit apartment complex can now move forward. The Honda dealership and service center, a longstanding fixture in the community, is expected to relocate within Walnut Creek, marking a significant shift in the city's landscape.

( Renderings: Hilton Garden Inn & 1910 North Broadway from City of Walnut Creek website)