Raputin and Blondie's Coming Back to Pleasant Hill

A four-and-a-half year hiatus from Pleasant Hill is coming to an end for Rasputin Music and Blondie's Pizza. 

Both businesses, owned by Ken Sarachan as part of a Berkeley-based chain, are planning a return to the former location at 1035 Contra Costa Blvd., Pleasant Hill after shutting down in early 2009 and leaving the building vacant ever since. Rasputin Music relocated to the former Tower Records building on Willow Pass Road in Concord, which would now close for the relocation.

Meanwhile, Sarachan has come under fire by the City of Berkeley for leaving his properties empty and susceptible to blight. He owns the original Rasputin Records on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, as well as 10 other locations around the Bay Area. Blondie's Pizza is in Berkeley and San Francisco.

The timing for the reopening in Pleasant Hill is unclear, according to Pleasant Hill City Planner Greg Fuz, but it will be "soon," he said, and "probably within the next few months."

Pleasant Hill's Architectural Review Commission approved new coloring for the buildings in last week's meeting. 

Will you be happy to see Rasputin and Blondie's return to Pleasant Hill? Share your thoughts in the comments.