WALNUT CREEK, CA — A very large new bank branch is on its way to downtown Walnut Creek, and the reaction from some locals has been less than enthusiastic.
The project is the long-planned F&M Bank branch at 1823 N. Main Street, right near the Target property. Bay Area Telegraph first spotted construction at the site last year, noting that the branch looked unusually large for a new bank location.
City records now fill in the details: this is a 5,505-square-foot, one-story freestanding bank with a drive-up ATM and 19 parking stalls.
That confirms our suspicions–this thing is, to use a technical term, ginormous!
The Basics
The new branch is being built on a 0.57-acre parcel that was once part of the Target site. According to Walnut Creek planning documents, the property contained a vacant building that was formerly the Target Garden Center, and it was subdivided from the larger six-acre Target parcel.
F&M Bank is not exactly a new company. The Central Valley-based bank says it was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Lodi. In a recent investor presentation filed with the SEC, the company said it had 33 locations, 382 employees, and expanded into the San Francisco Bay Area in 2013.
The same filing lists Downtown Walnut Creek — 1823 N. Main St. as a future location expected to open in Q3 2026. The filing notes that statements about new branches are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties.
Why Some Locals Are Upset
The frustration is not necessarily about F&M Bank itself. It is more about what this prominent piece of Walnut Creek land is becoming.
One reader wrote in to the Bay Area Telegraph to say that the bank felt far too large and visually prominent.
In online discussions, locals called the building “Way too high” and “bizarre to say the least.” Another person wrote “What good does it do to live within view of Mt Diablo if all you can see is tall buildings!”
Still, others defended the burdgening building. “I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve seen the design renderings and it will be gorgeous and be a real upgrade on the old industrial feel of that neighborhood. F&M is a local bank and this will be great,” Greg M of the North Civic neighborhood wrote.
Patty M wrote “What landscape is it destroying? It’s being built literally in the Target parking lot.”
That reaction is interesting because it does not appear to match the formal public hearing record. The Walnut Creek Design Review Commission’s 2022 approval resolution says the public hearing was opened, one public comment was received in support, and the hearing was then closed.
In other words, this looks like one of those projects that moved quietly through the normal approval process — and then drew more emotional attention once people saw the scale of it in real life.
This Is Not A Tiny Bank Branch
So why the controversy? Calling this a “branch” almost undersells the scale.
City staff described the project as a freestanding bank with a drive-up ATM, new landscaping, and signage. Later design revisions added a mezzanine, clerestory windows, a butterfly-style roof, and an outdoor patio area along Lacassie Avenue. The proposed building height varies, reaching up to 35 feet along the North Main Street frontage.
Staff reports also show the building will include professional offices, loan officer space, administration and management areas, two teller areas, a staff lounge, a customer lobby, and walk-up ATMs available 24 hours a day.
That helps explain why the site looks so substantial from the street. This is not just an ATM vestibule or a small storefront branch tucked into an existing shopping center.
The project’s signage also drew attention from city staff.
According to a 2022 Walnut Creek staff report, the applicant proposed increasing the total sign area from a previously approved 122 square feet to 150 square feet. The plan included two wall signs and two freestanding signs.
Staff said they supported the general idea of signs on both frontages because the building sits on a corner. But staff also said the main wall sign appeared “significantly larger” than similar signs in the area and did not reflect the character of the transitional street between traditional downtown and the larger office signage closer to BART.
The Site Has Had A Long Road
The branch has been in the works for years. Walnut Creek records show the Design Review Commission first approved the freestanding bank concept in 2017. The project then received multiple one-year extensions before later design revisions were approved in 2022.
There was also an environmental cleanup component. City staff said the site had originally been a former gas station requiring soil remediation, and that the State Water Resources Control Board process had to be completed before the project could move forward.
So while the bank may feel sudden to people who are just now noticing the construction, this is not a new idea that appeared overnight.
What Happens Next
Barring delays, F&M Bank’s own investor materials list the Downtown Walnut Creek branch for a Q3 2026 opening.
Whether residents end up liking the finished building may depend on how it feels once the fencing is gone, the landscaping is in, and the sidewalk experience becomes clearer.
City staff, for their part, described the revised architecture as “innovative and unique for Walnut Creek” and said the design would provide a “striking enhancement” to the street frontage.
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