WALNUT CREEK — An “immersive” retail, food, wine, art, and design “experience” hub that RH plans in downtown Walnut Creek is poised to usher in dramatic changes for the city’s core and create well over 100 jobs, public documents show.
RH (Restoration Hardware) and the owner of Broadway Plaza intend to launch a wide-ranging redevelopment at the corner of South Main Street and Mount Diablo Boulevard, which is a key corner of one of California’s top-notch retail hubs.
The proposal being floated by RH and real estate titan Macerich would demolish the long-empty Neiman Marcus department store and another building on a site that has addresses of 1401 Mt. Diablo Blvd. and 1000 South Main St., city files show.
RH and Macerich are eyeing a dining establishment, four retail galleries, and extensive landscaping. The new commercial hub would total 29,900 square feet, according to city planning documents.
“The project includes a new full-service restaurant totaling approximately 2,700 square feet, designed as a fully enclosed glass conservatory structure,” a Walnut Creek planning staff report states.
People would be able to access the restaurant through four alleyways between the new buildings.
“RH Gallery will be an inspiring integration of food, wine, art, and design with an immersive retail experience,” Douglas Healey, a Macerich senior executive vice president for leasing, said during a conference call with Wall Street analysts.
The Neiman Marcus store in downtown Walnut Creek shut its doors in 2021 in the wake of the bankruptcy filing in 2020 by the Neiman Marcus luxury retail store chain.
The prime site, perched on one of the Bay Area’s most prominent commercial intersections, has been empty ever since.
The new endeavor is a reminder that investors still hunger for excellent locations despite difficult times for the retail sector, Healey said during the conference call.
“This is just another great example of transformational leasing and the repurposing of a vacant anchor store within our portfolio,” he said.
The proposed RH complex will also be a significant provider of permanent jobs, according to a business plan for the development that was part of the planning documents.
“The design gallery would employ approximately 40 full-time staff,” the city proposal stated. “Shifts will likely be overlapped and max out midday at around 25 employees.”
The dining establishment will likely have even more workers.
“The restaurant would employ approximately 100 staff,” the city documents state. About 80 of the 100 would be full-time staffers.”
The proposed operating hours for the design gallery and restaurant will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with last seating at 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the operating hours for both would be 10 a.m. to 11 p.m, with final seating at 10 p.m.
“The RH lease is fully executed and will be replacing the former Neiman Marcus site at Broadway Plaza,” Broadway Plaza general manager Shelly Dress stated in an email she sent to this news organization in January.
Dress said construction on the new RH Gallery site is slated to begin “mid-year 2026,” with an anticipated opening in early 2028.
This development is deemed to be crucial for Walnut Creek, especially considering its location at a key intersection, according to the Walnut Creek planning documents.
“The project property is prominent and important to the city’s economic well-being,” the city staff report stated.
