DUBLIN — Named one of America’s fastest growing cities, Dublin has one thing missing that city leaders are hoping to fix soon — its very own downtown.

For years, residents of the booming city have lamented the fact that it doesn’t have a Main Street experience, but now, that’s finally coming to fruition, their mayor says. The city incorporated in 1982, and although nearby cities such as Pleasanton or Livermore have lively main streets or vibrant downtowns, Dublin never has.

The city has kickstarted the process to make plans for a downtown or town square-like area located on the west side of Dublin. On Monday, the city is hosting a community workshop for feedback from residents on what such a square should look like.

Linda Smith, the city’s assistant city manager, said the hope is to have a town square location in the next five years; a more long-term vision for the next 30 years will also be mapped out in a “Preferred Vision” plan that will eventually be adopted by the City Council. The long-term plan will introduce new street blocks in the area, including a possible extension of Golden Gate Drive.

The council recently reviewed a proposal for this downtown plan, and is focusing on a site located at the Dublin Place shopping center on Amador Plaza Road. The current location has a Target store, Hobby Lobby and Burlington Coat Factory and is generally bordered by Amador Plaza Road and Dublin Boulevard. The city hired Urban Field Studio, a planning group, last year to help with the process.

There were three concepts that residents were asked to look at in a survey conducted both online and in person at the city’s farmers market and a previous workshop. Most of the 245 people who took part preferred “Concept A,” which was the “Town Square” option along an extended future ‘Main Street’ site on Golden Gate Drive.

The other concepts included the “Central Park” option that would put the town square in front of the current Hobby Lobby store, but would take longer to build because of the impact to the front of the store.

The “C” option was the “Dublin Porch,” which would have placed the town square next to Dublin Boulevard, running parallel with the street. This option also could have taken longer because of the potential changes to the boulevard.

The town square would eventually include the square itself, surrounded by retail and mixed development such as offices, a hotel and even residential units, Smith said. The square itself could host such events as outdoor concerts, movies in the park events, yoga, farmers markets and other actives.

Mayor David Haubert said Thursday that Dublin in some ways is a “tale of two cities”: the original part of town, and the newer community that’s being built. A town square will bring those two sides together, in the west side of town, where the city has its origins.

“This allows Dublin to bring some new renovations and vibrancy to the original part of town,” Haubert said. “It will bring a sense of pride, and a sense of equity in the community.”

A central location will also bring a social aspect to the city — where residents can meet and socialize with one another at the square, the cafes or other spots in the future downtown.

The city has set aside at least $5 million for downtown renovations through a community benefit from an apartment building project on St. Patrick’s Way. The city allowed the landowner to tear down an industrial building and build the apartments in exchange for a fee to be used as a community benefit, the mayor said.

Smith said the renovations for the downtown would be mostly development-driven, and likely paid for by developers. In order for the site to change what’s already there, it has to be more valuable than what is currently there, she said. The main owner of the center is not a developer but more of an institutional investor. Smith said the city wants to work with the owner to see how they can “walk down this path together” and create incentives for changes.

For now, the city is focusing on painting the picture of what the downtown square would look like, and what kind of density for the buildings surrounding the square. Then, after the community workshop, the City Council will receive a report back on the feedback from the meeting, with some additional renderings of what the downtown could look like, Smith said. Before the end of the year, the preferred vision is expected to be approved by the council, in order to get that plan into action.

Dublin town square community meeting

When: 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16

Where: Dublin Senior Center, 7600 Amador Valley Blvd., Dublin