SAN RAMON, CA—Bishop Ranch just added two new amenities at its 2600 building, continuing its focus on wellness and tenant well-being. Josh Hitchcock, senior vice president of leasing, Sunset Development Company, recently discussed the new additions, the value of amenities and why Sunset continues to add enhanced amenities to boost productivity and promote wellness at Bishop Ranch in this exclusive.

GlobeSt.com: Is Bishop Ranch one of the few business parks to promote the link between wellness and productivity?

Hitchcock: Wellness and productivity are certainly the topics of the hour and it's at the top of most landlords' lists. Every employer is looking for a work environment that promotes health and wellness for their employees. The differentiating factor is how much landlords decide to spend on these enhancements and amenities. Some spend a minimal amount and others invest heavily. I think Bishop Ranch is at the forefront by making the investment to ensure the amenities we add are at a higher quality and higher level than our competition in the marketplace.

Most recent investments include two new amenities added to Bishop Ranch's 2600 building. The additions are Lakeside Coffee is located in the Roundhouse Conference Center lobby and Roundhouse Fitness, a 14,000-square foot full-service fitness center, complete with sweeping views of the lake, personal training sessions and workout classes.

We also have Bishop Ranch-wide initiatives to promote overall wellness with access to lakeside amenities and activities like rowboats, water bikes, volleyball court, bocce ball, lakeside walking trail and our shared BRite Bike program. There are also plenty of recreational offerings, with community events such as outdoor movie nights, weekly Farmers Markets, fitness challenges, wellness seminars and coming soon, a bike storage facility and service center.

GlobeSt.com: What added bonus do amenities offer tenants?

Hitchcock: Amenities ultimately add the extra layer of desired services and convenience. At Bishop Ranch, that means access to great dining options, fitness facilities, childcare or medical providers and offering efficient, reliable transportation services to get people to and from Bishop Ranch with minimal stress. The goal is to offer services that not only make daily life simpler for our tenants but also more enriching.

GlobeSt.com: What do these new additions provide the tenant not seen in other parks?

Hitchcock: Bishop Ranch tenants get access to a pretty unique set of amenities. It's not every day that you can walk straight from your office to a state-of-the-art gym, get a view of a beautiful lake while you work out and then head across the street for a bite to eat with family or friends or grocery shop for the week. We're really trying to add a layer of amenities that allow people to not have to go out of their way to too many different locales to meet their daily lifestyle needs. I think this is the game changer in terms of how people view Bishop Ranch.

GlobeSt.com: What is Sunset's plan to continue to add enhanced amenities?

Hitchcock: We're making sweeping improvements to other buildings in the Bishop Ranch community, which include adding outdoor seating and collaborative areas, and extending the food concepts that have been highly successful at Roundhouse Market to these locations to accommodate tenants' changing working environment.

City Center Bishop Ranch, a 300,000-square-foot shopping, dining and entertainment destination, designed by Renzo Piano and located in the heart of Bishop Ranch, is also under development with Phase 1 expected to be completed in fall 2018. Phase 2 of the project will open two years after Phase 1 and will include a residential component as well as a hotel.

We are testing EasyMile driverless shuttles so that eventually tenants can navigate the entire business community as well as surrounding dining and retail without ever having to get in their car.

We are also launching a concierge and hospitality program this fall that will elevate our tenant and guest experience by offering a broad range of personalized services and features.

GlobeSt.com: Would you characterize these amenities as a city within a city?

Hitchcock: Yes, when you take into account what we've created here at Bishop Ranch and ultimately, what we're building with the development of City Center, we hope this will yield a dynamic city within a larger city experience.

Instant Insights /

City Within a City Concept Takes Shape

Related Stories

Recommended For You