The Martinelli Center, owned by Alameda County in the Livermore Valley wine country. (Photo courtesy Alameda County)
Alameda County officials said last week they anticipate moving ahead with a new plan to revitalize and reopen the 20-year-old Martinelli Center on Greenville Road in Livermore.
The center, which houses the offices for Livermore Valley Wine Country and the county Resource Conservation District with room for others, has not used its meeting room/event center since its shutdown during the COVID-19 lockdown. From the center’s opening, the kitchen and event catering was handled by neighboring Garré Vineyard, but that stopped when the winery opened its own event space on its land at the corner of Greenville and Tesla roads.
An Alameda County Community Development Agency official reported Sept. 11 to the transportation/land use subcommittee of the Board of Supervisors consisting of Supervisors David Haubert (District 1) and Nate Miley (District 4). The purpose was to bring the supervisors up to speed on the status of the center as well as the extension of the Livermore municipal sewer line from the city limits at Buena Vista Road to Greenville.
City voters approved the extension beyond the Livermore city limits in 2024. The extension is designed to provide municipal services to businesses that would complement and enhance the vineyards and wineries. For instance, there’s only one small lodging property in the entire agricultural region in the South Livermore Valley.
The design phase of the sewer line is scheduled for approval by both agencies this fall and for construction over seven months in 2026. An environmental review still must be completed before the project is started by county crews.
County officials contracted for a market analysis of the Martinelli Center that included conversations with stakeholders as well as potential users. One model for future use, considering its location at the gateway to Livermore wine country, would be a visitor hub for wine tasting like what the Lodi area association operates.
The study concluded that there’s significant potential for reopening as an event center complemented by the visitors’ hub. Weddings and weekend events could be a primary revenue source.
The evaluation also included consideration of what improvements to the kitchen would be necessary as well as improving the audio-visual equipment.
The county plans to issue a request for proposals for an operator in the fall with a selection taking place in the spring.
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