WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – After seven long years of waiting, the city of Walnut Creek has officially approved plans to build a massive 24,000-square-foot, European-style food hall right in the middle of downtown.
The new food hall was originally proposed in 2018. Various renderings and plans have emerged over time, but nothing had been officially approved to move forward—until now.
According to the development project section of the Walnut Creek city website, approval has just been granted for the ambitious plans to proceed.
The new food hall will be called The Foundry. It will be a two-story building spanning 24,472 square feet.
The project will include an outdoor courtyard at the rear, as well as two additional buildings to accompany the main structure.
Although the exact specifics of the food hall haven’t been revealed yet, it will likely be something akin to Eataly in San Jose.
Eataly is a three-story Italian food hall featuring multiple restaurants, specialty food vendors, a large wine section, gelato, and more.
Bringing something similar to Walnut Creek would be fantastic. Plans for the building also indicate a large outdoor dining area that could potentially be used for concerts and other events.
In earlier renderings, several structures were labeled Foundry Brewery and Foundry Wine, implying that the development will include a strong dining and drinking component.
The Foundry will be located on the empty lot across from the movie theater on Locust Street, at 1250 Locust St. / 1501 Mount Diablo Blvd.
We immediately went over to check out the site.
Some construction equipment is present, but it will be quite a while before this lot transforms into a massive food hall!
Looking at the plans, it appears that the food hall will take up most of the city block in that area, including a former restaurant building that now sits empty on the corner across from the theater.
However, just because the city has granted approval doesn’t necessarily mean the project will happen. There are still several more steps, including permits and additional planning, before The Foundry can break ground.
That said, these ambitious plans for a massive entertainment and dining space in Walnut Creek are incredibly exciting. We hope The Foundry gets built, and we look forward to munching on some pasta and enjoying a nice glass of wine there!
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