Ice Age: East Bay sees an increase in outdoor skating rinks
Paul Bates has an icy vision — two outdoor skating rinks within four miles of each other, thriving in the Tri-Valley.
With just over two weeks until Pleasanton and the San Jose Sharks’ parent company debut their long-awaited outdoor holiday ice rink, a group including Bates announced plans Friday to open a Dublin rink the same day.
That will bring the number of outdoor East Bay rinks to four for the holidays. The other, established rinks are in Brentwood and in Walnut Creek.
Pleasanton’s downtown rink will cover 14,000 square feet. Dublin’s will be half that, a 7,200-square-foot rink at Dublin Toyota off Interstate 680.
Dublin Toyota and Bates’ California Ice Adventures LLC have been issued a temporary use permit by Dublin, said assistant city manager Chris Foss.
“There is a reason why the Sharks are proposing to build four rinks in this area,” said Bates, referring to a proposed permanent indoor facility at the Staples Ranch site in Pleasanton. “There is a great demand for (ice skating) in this area.”
It’s a demand that ice skating enthusiasts such as Bates say is underserved with just two indoor rinks east of the Caldecott Tunnel. And for those wanting to skate outdoors, it used to be even harder to find a rink.
Four years ago, Walnut Creek had the only venue east of the Caldecott Tunnel that offered outdoor skating during the holidays.
