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An event center is poised to open downtown Livermore, given approval last week of its conditional use permit by the city’s planning commission.
The forthcoming Blanco Modern Venue at 180 South Livermore Ave. is set to be an indoor-outdoor space with a rooftop bar and areas for hosting events such as weddings, corporate events and community programming.
Construction of the 250-person venue is expected for completion later this summer.
Despite receiving the OK from the Livermore Planning Commission at its meeting last Tuesday (June 16), its approval was accompanied by a discussion lasting nearly an hour and a half with concerns expressed over potential noise, traffic and parking issues.
During the next six months, including two events with valet, city staff are poised to monitor the outcome of the venue’s parking plan. If staff observe issues, they can make adjustments to the plan without returning to the planning commission.
“I want this conditional use permit to work because I believe, economically, that this is something that could be valuable to downtown,” Commissioner Jacob Anderson said during the meeting. “It’s found very minimally anywhere in Livermore, so there is a definite need.”
Initially used as a Southwestern Bell Communications repeater station, the historic building at the project site was purchased by the city of Livermore in 2004, according to a staff report prepared by Livermore associate planner Jennifer Ackerman.
Current owner Michael Messinger bought the building with council approval in 2022. He was bound by a purchase and sale agreement to convert the vacant building into a restaurant.
Construction of the project began in 2024.
By fall of 2025, Messinger requested an amendment to the purchase and sale agreement to allow for the building’s use as a restaurant or event center, subject to CUP approval. The request to City Council was successful.
Messinger and co-owner Jonathan Vasquez have operated a similar venue since 2022 in the South Bay dubbed Blanco San Jose.
“We felt that something like this, that we’ve done downtown San Jose, would be more preferable and a better fit for this community at this point in the development of downtown,” Vasquez said of the Livermore venue.
Under the approved CUP, the business is permitted to operate from 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday through Wednesday and 10-2 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday.
During weekdays, events cannot start or end during peak congestion hours of 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. There are no restrictions regarding peak hours on the weekends.
On-site parking will consist of four spaces, including one ADA-compliant space. An additional 18 to 20 spaces will be provided off-site via valet service on Second Avenue.
Patrons will otherwise be advised to park at any of the garages downtown, located about six or seven minutes away by foot.
Guests are anticipated to arrive at the venue within a “narrow time frame” and leave in a “somewhat narrow” time frame, Ackerman said in the staff report.
The applicant expects events of approximately 150 guests, short of the 250 occupancy limit.
The city’s traffic engineering division determined that the surrounding roadways and intersections can accommodate event-related traffic, Ackerman said during a staff presentation at the meeting.
As for noise, all outdoor music and amplified sound must end by 11 p.m., a rule the commission clarified during the meeting.
Exterior noise levels between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. must not exceed 70 dBA, a level staff said is approximately equal to a busy office. Between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., the maximum volume drops to 65 dBA, according to the staff report.
Security will be provided and a web-based surveillance system will record all external and internal access points to retain for at least 90 days, according to the conditions of approval.
“It’s a big benefit to Livermore to have this kind of draw that will bring people and corporations from all around the Bay Area to it,” Messinger said during the meeting.
Anderson kicked off the planning commission’s discussion to express concern about potential traffic related to attendees arriving and departing en masse.
At the same time Anderson said he saw the economic value of having the event center in town and its role in filling a largely unmet need.
“I want to make sure that if we are starting to see problems there needs to be some way that we can rectify those issues,” Anderson said.
Vice Chair Charity Steele expressed a shared concern over the potential traffic impacts of venue operations.
On the subject of parking, staff explained the venue website will include a map with a route to the I Street and L Street parking garages.
“I think that’s really helpful,” Commissioner Yolanda Fintschenko replied, adding that there is an incentive for businesses and organizations to provide clear parking directions.
“It’s in the best interest of the venue and whoever’s hosting the party, using the venue, to be very clear about (parking) because it’s their brand too,” Fintschenko said.
City staff are also set to work with the applicant to set-up signage for directions to parking.
“Don’t discount the fact that we’re also motivated to make this work in different ways,” Vasquez told the commission.Â
In a separate area of concern, Fintschenko and Chair Tracy Kronzak expressed worry over the venue’s sound and sound management.
As a result of the discussion, the planning commission amended the conditions of approval to prohibit amplified sound after 11 p.m., in addition to music.
Although the Downtown Specific Plan does not explicitly permit event venues, it allows the planning commission to permit additional uses if the proposed use fits the plan’s intent.
Kronzak measured up with the proposed CUP to the downtown specific plan, noting the document’s vision of vibrancy.
“I could not think of a more vibrant addition to downtown,” Kronzak said.
After approving the amended CUP by 4-0 tally, absent Commissioner Nadine Horner, the commission directed staff to study pedestrian safety at what Kronzak called the “mortally terrifying” intersection of Livermore Avenue and Second Street.
Staff attention to the intersection is needed amid increasing foot traffic in the area, according to Anderson. The intersection is surrounded by the new Meadowlark Dairy and post office.
