Well, officially, Walnut Creek voters said "yes" to a new 92,000-square-foot department store in Broadway Plaza at the corner of South Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has said it fully intends to occupy that spot. With all precincts reporting, 71 percent of the 21,398 Walnut Creek voters casting ballots, said "yes" to Measure I--the Broadway extension measure. Nearly 29 percent said "no."
It's been a costly battle for the two developers on either side of Measure I--to the tune of around $2 million combined. Broadway Mall owner Macerich spent around $1.3 million on the Yes on I campaign, while Taubman Centers, which owns Concord's Sunvalley Mall and had hoped to develop a Neiman Marcus in San Ramon, spent $700,000.
So, it looks like Neiman Marcus will be coming to town.
Really? Truly? Could this whole brouhaha finally be over? Will slow-growth advocates who opposed the new Broadway Plaza department store, as well as Taubman, challenge the results of the election in court? One city official I talked to wondered if the election would truly settle this battle, especially if the No on I side loses. Taubman has been known, in other communities, to dig in for a long time and spend lots of money to assert its will.
Well, one No on I leader seemed resigned to accept the results of Tuesday's election. Selma King told the Contra Costa Times that she was ready for election day and for the campaign to be over. "I have lost more elections then I have won," King said. "I am able to say that we did the best we could."
