“Emeryville is having a bit of a renaissance,” Welch told me.
I can see why she says that. Buzzy new businesses are drawing eyes to Emeryville’s Bay Street mall, which two years ago was roughly 35% vacant after more than a dozen businesses closed during the pandemic.
CenterCal Properties bought Bay Street for a reported $90.5 million in 2021, and the Southern California-based development firm spent about $75 million in breathing new life into the area. Now it’s becoming a food destination, thanks to places like the Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated Mexican spot Flores, Marin’s Uchiwa Ramen and Saucy Asian, which like Flores, also has a place in San Francisco.