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Scott Raty
President/CEO
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The significant blow to the local economy's midsection that came with the sale of Safeway, Inc. may have been resoundingly countered by Workday and the recent Pleasanton City Council unanimous approval of their proposed new 430,000 square foot headquarters building at the Stoneridge BART station.
The strikingly attractive building will stand six stories tall. New parking structures are also planned, as is a 2,000-square foot satellite facility to be shared by Pleasanton Police Department and BART Police.
According to City Manager Nelson Fialho, the Workday project will generate a huge amount of one-time money for local government; more than $7 million in start-up fees for the city, school district and other government entities.
Long term, we can look forward to Workday doubling their current workforce of 1,750; many of whom will frequent the mall and countless small businesses in the region contributing substantially to the local economy and tax base.
Workday's multi-million dollar long term commitment to Pleasanton could not have come at a better time as uncertainty abounds regarding the future of Safeway after its sale to the company that owns Albertson's and headquartered in Idaho.
While we really hope that on shear volume alone Safeway, Inc. remains largely intact and operating locally, we won't know for months or possibly even a year or more.
Should some or all of Safeway's building go on the market, Workday's commitment to Pleasanton is the ultimate testimonial to potential tech firms wanting to expand, but find costs and physical constraints in San Francisco and the peninsula prohibitive.
