Pleasanton
Pleasanton
A vibrant community of 80,000 residents, Pleasanton is one of the most prosperous mid-sized cities in the nation. A sought-after community that offers top-rated schools, a regional shopping center, a historic downtown district, an abundance of recreational experiences, year-round activities, and plentiful arts and cultural events, Pleasanton creates an exceptional quality of life that makes employees, business owners, and top executives proud to call the city home. It’s not surprising that Pleasanton has been included in Money Magazine’s list of the ‘100 Best Small Cities to Live in America.’
Pleasanton’s progressive and business-friendly identity is demonstrated by its position as a regionally competitive employment center with more than 62,000 employees and home to thriving businesses of all sizes and types, from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms, with especially robust innovation and knowledge-based industry clusters including information technology, computer engineering, biomedical technology and devices, and professional and technical services. Some of the Bay Area’s largest firms have a strong presence in Pleasanton: Workday, Kaiser Permanente, Safeway, The Clorox Company, Oracle, Roche Molecular Systems, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott, Allergan, and Gap.com.
Proximity to cutting-edge research and development, and the network of companies it cultivates, also makes the city an excellent location for entrepreneurial activity. Indicative of this innovative culture, collectively Pleasanton companies have been a top recipient of venture capital investment in the East Bay and since 2006 have received more than $2.6 billion in venture capital funding. Reflecting this, Pleasanton has been included among the best places to start a new business.
Companies recognize the value of Pleasanton’s location in the Bay Area: ideally situated at the intersection of I-580 and I-680, complemented by two BART stations, an ACE station, and a strong local transit system, the city offers convenient connection to all major markets in Northern California. This also affords access to the well-educated and skilled talent that is a hallmark of Pleasanton, with 56% of residents having a bachelor’s or advanced degree.
The city offers a variety of commercial real estate offerings, within 15 million square feet of office, flex/R&D space and light industrial buildings that meet the needs of established and emergent industry clusters. Notably, Pleasanton’s premium office space is cost-competitive compared to other Bay Area locations, making Pleasanton a high-value location. And from well-maintained roadways to high-speed Internet access to extremely reliable electrical service, infrastructure is in place to support the needs of businesses.
Add to all this, Pleasanton’s wide variety of homes in desirable developments: from mixed-use units near job centers and transit to single-family neighborhoods to luxury real estate communities, Pleasanton’s array of housing options meet the preferences of today’s workforce and executives.
Executives in Pleasanton report a high level of satisfaction with the city’s business environment. In a recent survey, 91% of business executives reported that Pleasanton was a good or excellent location for doing business.
Simply put, Pleasanton is an exceptional place to locate and achieve business success.
Pleasanton Quick Facts
Incorporated
1894
County
Alameda
Elevation
351 ft
Latitude/Longitude
Area
24.28 sq mi
Population (2017)
79,341
Median Household Income
$138,269
Median Property Value (2017)
$879,800
Website
Resources
The City of Pleasanton’s Economic Development Department serves the community by building a robust and amenity-rich environment that supports the city’s residential and commercial citizens by working to:
- Attract new companies and assist in retention and expansion of businesses already in the city
- Grow Pleasanton jobs
- Serve as ombudsmen through the development services process
- Enhance the city and Tri-Valley region’s innovation ecosystem
- Implement the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan
Economic Development Department staff is available to answer questions, troubleshoot potential challenges, and guide businesses to the appropriate staff and resources. Businesses can connect directly with Director of Economic Development, Pamela Ott or Economic Development Specialist, Lisa Adamos.
The business approval process begins at Pleasanton’s one-stopPermit Center where the City’s Planning, Building, and Engineering divisions are located at the Civic Center at 200 Old Bernal Avenue in downtown Pleasanton. While all businesses have specific elements that make them unique, most will follow this general process: zoning approval, development review, plan check review and business licensing. We invite you to visit the Permit Center from Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 am, or you can access information online at Pleasanton Permits.
Economic Development Department staff provides business assistance services designed to help guide companies. From application to approval to completion, we offer programs to assist and work with you to get your business open. Programs are described below and in our business assistance brochure.
The City works closely with organizations in supporting the needs of its commercial enterprises with more than 53,000 employees in Pleasanton’s thriving business community.
- Hacienda, the largest development of its kind in Northern California with 10 million square feet of existing, mixed-use space, is occupied by more than 475 to 550 companies representing small businesses to regional centers, large corporate campuses and company headquarters.
- The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce represents its membership of small and large companies, advocating for business and promoting economic opportunity. With more than 800 active members, the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce is a strong partner with the city.
- Downtown Pleasanton’s Historic District of retail and commercial properties is a certified California Main Street. The Pleasanton Downtown Association manages the business improvement assessment district to support the more than 500 businesses located within the core commercial area and assists the city in developing and promoting a vibrant downtown community.
- Visit Tri-Valley promotes the Tri-Valley cities in efforts to attract tourism to the area and to our businesses. With a growing wine region, abundant recreational activities, venues for the cultural arts and an array of shopping and dining experiences, Visit Tri-Valley works with the local hospitality industry to expand business opportunities.
- Manufacturing plays a key role in Pleasanton’s business economy. The City and many individual companies work with The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (MANEX) to provide proven advisory and implementation solutions exclusively to manufacturers, distributors, and their supply chains. Emphasis on delivering high-impact solutions in four key areas – strategy, people, process and performance – to help companies quickly achieve cost efficiencies and increased profits.
Photo Gallery
