Sunset Development affiliate bought the Chevron complex for $174.5 million<\/a> and then began work to transform the park into a neighborhood that became known as Orchards.<\/p>\nBrian Swanson, a San Ramon resident opposed to the development, filed an appeal that urged the council to reject the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis appeal is not about whether growth, housing, or downtown transformation are desirable,\u201d Swanson said.<\/p>\n
Swanson claimed the city failed to properly follow the California Environmental Quality Act when it previously gave final approval. Swanson also said the city hasn\u2019t fully analyzed potential traffic impacts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a dramatic transformation,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cYes, it\u2019s housing. But the analysis is incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Ramon Mayor Mark Armstrong disagreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do believe the city followed the appropriate law and process\u201d in its prior decision to approve the project, Armstrong said.<\/p>\n
The council, in a 5-0 vote, unanimously rejected the appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt its core, Orchards is an infill mixed-use development that transforms a private campus into a connected community,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
Upon completion, Orchards is expected to include 2,600 homes, 125,000 square feet of retail, a 2.5-acre park, and a perimeter greenway that links to Iron Horse Trail, according to Sunset Development.<\/p>\n
The residential mix will include affordable homes, according to Sunset Development.<\/p>\n
The retail is slated to be unique compared with the shops and restaurants in other parts of downtown San Ramon, such as the destination City Center Bishop Ranch commercial and entertainment hub.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have talked about Santana Row in San Jose, where you have the ground-floor retail that is really focused on residents, and then you have residential units on top,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
Orchards will be developed in phases over a 20-year time frame.<\/p>\n
Alex Mehran Jr., Sunset Development\u2019s president, sees Orchards as one of several pieces to the mosaic of the evolving downtown San Ramon.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is a significant project within a bigger story at Bishop Ranch,\u201d Mehran Jr. said. \u201cThere is a dramatic change in the texture of the place with each project. You keep seeing vibe shifts every time something new opens and transforms the place. This is an exciting place that changes day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN RAMON \u2014 A mixed-use project proposed for downtown San Ramon landed a crucial municipal endorsement after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[184,387,7,8,3010,392,1335,332,383,1011,1337,1286,181,100,388,1969,5347,88,90,89,2652,398],"class_list":{"0":"post-258360","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-bay-area","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-california-news","12":"tag-commercial-real-estate","13":"tag-contra-costa-county","14":"tag-development","15":"tag-east-bay","16":"tag-economy","17":"tag-housing","18":"tag-housing-development","19":"tag-jobs","20":"tag-latest-headlines","21":"tag-news","22":"tag-real-estate","23":"tag-retail","24":"tag-retail-development","25":"tag-san-jose","26":"tag-san-jose-headlines","27":"tag-san-jose-news","28":"tag-san-ramon","29":"tag-tri-valley"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Orchards,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SJM-L-SRAMORCHARDS-02.jpg\")
Orchards, a 144-acre neighborhood of homes, shops, restaurants and open spaces near the interchange of Interstate 680 and Bollinger Canyon Road in downtown San Ramon, evening view, concept.\u00a0(Sunset Development)![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SJM-L-SRAMORCHARDS-01.jpg\")
Brian Swanson, a San Ramon resident who opposes the Orchards neighborhood in the municipality’s downtown, speaks during a City Council hearing regarding the project, April 7, 2026.\u00a0(San Ramon City Council)![\"Residences](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SJM-L-SRAMORCHARDS-04.jpg\")
Residences in Orchards, a 144-acre neighborhood of homes, shops, restaurants and open spaces near the interchange of Interstate 680 and Bollinger Canyon Road in downtown San Ramon, concept.\u00a0(Sunset Development)<\/p>\n