Ruth McGowan’s Brewpub, which has supplied the small city of Cloverdale with house-made beer since 2002, was the lone restaurant to show formal interest in the space before Tracy’s Jan. 26 deadline, according to Director of Development and Engineering Andrew Malik.
Malik told me that the old market on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Eighth Street is a perfect fit for a brewery.
“What we found … was that the 11,000 square feet that the Westside Market is,” he said, “is kind of a sweet spot for breweries-slash-restaurants.”
It’s a sweet spot, period.
As they say in real estate, location is king. And the parcel is just to the north of the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, the jewel of downtown.
Unfortunately, if McGowan’s moves in, it will force out the E Gallery, which takes up the non-Westside part of the parcel.
E Gallery, under Jack Elliott and now the Tracy Performing Arts Foundation, has been home to quality community theater, a true complement to the Grand next door. (Here’s hoping it finds a home that’s not too far away from what’s developing into a real artistic treasure.)
Malik warned, however, that a deal with McGowan’s is far from complete. He said staff is working to begin negotiations if the City Council approves at its March 6 meeting.
“We’re very excited about it,” he said.
The city bought the building in 2011, hoping to turn the convenience store there into a higher-profile attraction. The purchase was one of the last gasps of the city’s redevelopment agency, before the California Legislature washed it from the face of the urban renewal landscape.
So far, things have gone according to plan. But the city’s got to tread carefully.
Using public money to buy a space and turn it over to a private owner needs to be done with wisdom. Neighboring cities, such as Stockton, have seen similar processes go horribly awry, creating long-lasting animosity toward their downtowns and alienating business owners who have to compete with the Johnny-come-latelies.
But at least this gives momentum to a neighborhood in need of forward traction. Some parts of downtown seem mired to the waist.
Take the building on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and 10th Street.
It was most recently the site of Helm’s Ale House, an outfit that proved good beer and good food can survive in the city’s historic heart. It’s too bad that the building crumbled around the up-and-coming business, forcing the city to declare the structure a hazard.
More than three months later, fences still ward away pedestrians, making downtown’s central intersection look a little too much like Detroit.
(A quick aside, ale house owner Dave Helm says he’s still looking for a place to restart his pub, though he said he wasn’t approached by the city regarding the Westside Market. Malik said Helm didn’t submit a letter of interest.)
Building owner Denise Hembree said this week that she’s “in a holding pattern” regarding repairs. While there’s no timeline, Hembree said she wants to “get tenants in there as soon as the work is completed.”
But code enforcement officer Jim Decker said the city hasn’t heard from Hembree the past couple weeks. He said the city needs to see plans to get the place permanently stabilized so the fences can be removed — or to have it repaired or razed.
“We’re going to have to move forward, because the thing just can’t sit like that forever,” Decker told me Wednesday. “It’s a public nuisance at this point in time.”
I’m no structural engineer, but having seen a preliminary report regarding the building’s stability, my personal money is on demolition as the most feasible option.
Regardless of which option Hembree chooses, the corner is in dire want of improvement. A fenced-off building just makes a bad backdrop for the spring Wine Stroll or fall Bean Festival, especially when so much work is going into other parts of the downtown.
Though behind schedule, repair work continues in the former JC Penney building on 10th and B streets, and the Sixth Street Plaza is on the verge of an on-time completion.
Taken with the possible move-in of McGowan’s, it’s a sign that downtown is finding stronger footing, despite some slips along the way.
• Second Thoughts is a personal opinion column by Editor Jon Mendelson. Share your thoughts at jmendelson@tracypress.com.
I just dreaded parking there when visiting the Grand.
Little nicer now.
I do have to pont out a flaw in the quote, "It was most recently the site of Helm’s Ale House, an outfit that proved good beer and good food can survive in the city’s historic heart."
The Great Plate Bar and Grill has held reign at 714 Central Avenue for almost 14 years. Love it or hate it, that's your choice. Patrons have chosen to frequent this long standing establishment enough to keep it going. We have seen it go through good times and bad, but it's still here.
I would say it more accurately fits the bill of survival.
I truly hope for more dining establishments in the downtown area. Enticing more business to the area is good for downtown and the City of Tracy.
My husband and I find ourselves spending our weekends and money in downtown Livermore or downtown Pleasanton...I sincerely hope that Tracy brings better quality establishments to our downtown.
What would you suggest for that spot? Just askin'
DID YOU MEAN
SOUTH WEST CORNER? HELLO???
To even air its dirty laundry for all to see, is making the choice, to deface all the hard work the gifted men and women of the E company have placed into that space.I have no doubts in my mind that there were not flaws, but that is what makes the creative process so wonderful.
I hope that whomever takes over the building truly can appreciate the rich culture that it brought to Tracy, even if only for the year it had existed. I also hope, that whatever may take its place, will fill many a lives with joy.
So, it is with love in my heart and not the hate that you showed, that I wish you a wonderful life.
-Larry Christopher Cody Murphy, proud member of E Company
We did everything with scrap wood, duck tape and wire. But in the end we had a place to practice our craft. Playwrights got to hear their original plays spoken aloud for the very first time. Actors got to do edgier shows to broaden their portfolios. We did puppet shows, poetry readings and Improv. We even took a show to China!
What we did would have been to costly to do in the Grand. However, that said, The Grand and most especially William and Jeff were great neighbors to have. They really supported us in those critical early days.
Now 15 shows later, it was time for something new in my life. And as they say in Theatre - It was a great run! The E Gallery is now the Tracy Performing Arts' Playhouse. I hope the community helps them to find a new home. They are a tremendous bunch of loving and caring people - and I know that they have more stories to tell and shows to put on.- Jack
To even air its dirty laundry for all to see, is making the choice, to deface all the hard work the gifted men and women of the E company have placed into that space.I have no doubts in my mind that there were not flaws, but that is what makes the creative process so wonderful.
I hope that whomever takes over the building truly can appreciate the rich culture that it brought to Tracy, even if only for the year it had existed. I also hope, that whatever may take its place, will fill many a lives with joy.
So, it is with love in my heart and not the hate that you showed, that I wish you a wonderful life.
-Larry Christopher Cody Murphy, proud member of E Company