SAN RAMON — The vision of turning the closed Mudd’s Restaurant site into a nature center has the support of the San Ramon City Council.
At Wednesday night’s meeting, all five council members supported the staff’s recommendations that the city reach an agreement with the San Ramon Nature Park Foundation in the next 120 days to create the nature center and food lab. In addition, the city gave the foundation up to a year to come up with funding for the center. Details on who would run the nature center and pay for ongoing expenses have to be worked out as part of the negotiations.
Last month, the foundation’s efforts received a major boost when Sunset Development Company CEO Alexander Mehran Jr. donated $500,000 to start off the nature center fundraising. Sunset Development owns and operates Bishop Ranch Business Park. The money, which will go toward renovating Mudd’s, will be available after building permits are issued.
“All of us in the San Ramon Nature Park Foundation are so grateful to our city council for sharing our vision to create a nature center in the beautiful old Mudd’s restaurant,” said Franette Armstrong, foundation president, in a email statement. “Our fundraising campaign is off to a head start with Alexander Mehran Jr.’s amazing donation of $500,000, and we expect the Tri-Valley community will support this park. It truly will be a park built by the community for the community.”
The city’s consultant estimated it would cost $4.3 million to $5.3 million to renovate the Mudd’s property. Armstrong, a designer and builder of custom homes and remodels, said her foundation’s bids put the cost at less than half that amount — about $2 million — and said she is optimistic the foundation can raise the funds within the one-year deadline.
She said the first phase of the project would be the nature center and that she expects the project to take 10 years to fully develop.
Mayor Bill Clarkson said the council support for the nature center was “rock solid.” But he warned the supporters of the $3 million difference between the city’s and the foundation’s estimates on renovating Mudd’s.
“I don’t want to set this community up for failure,” Clarkson said. “You have a formidable task in front of you, but you have some amazing community members involved in this. I wish you all the luck.”
At Wednesday’s council meeting, several former San Ramon mayors — including Pat Boom, Greg Carr, Mary Lou Oliver and Abram Wilson — and members of the foundation’s board and others spoke in favor of creating the nature center.
“You’ve heard a very thin slice of what is a deep, complex and well-thought-out plan to bring wonderful new programs and activities to our residents while preserving an architectural masterpiece and part of San Ramon’s history,” Boom said. “I hope you will give the Nature Park Foundation the opportunity to raise the funds to renovate Mudd’s and to create this unique park for our city.”
Armstrong is envisioning nature classes and activities in the orchard, meadow and creek on nearly 10 acres. She said there would be birdwatching tours, night stargazing programs, camping for youth groups and food classes.
It has been more than a decade since the restaurant near the western edge of town closed. Mudd’s Restaurant was one of San Ramon’s first gourmet restaurants, opened in 1981 by Virginia Mudd and Palmer Madden.
