Mess Hall on Market Street would create gourmet food market next to Fox Performing Arts Center
[ecko_quote source=”Mayor Rusty Bailey”]This is an exciting development for our downtown and for foodies from all over Inland Southern California.[/ecko_quote]
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Gourmet food stalls, upscale grocery items and creative dining options could be coming to downtown Riverside under the terms of an agreement headed to the Riverside City Council Tuesday evening for a project dubbed “Mess Hall on Market Street.”
The Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed 55-year lease of nearly 15,000 square feet of space at 3605 Market Street, immediately adjacent to the historic Fox Performing Arts Center, for a food hall along the lines of the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles or the Anaheim Packing House in Orange County.
“The Mess Hall is the next step in the culinary evolution of downtown Riverside,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “This is an exciting development for our downtown and for foodies from all over Inland Southern California.”
Riverside Food Hall LP, operators of Mess Hall on Market Street, would offer leasing opportunities for sit-down restaurants, retail, and specialty food and beverage companies. Upon execution of a lease agreement, construction of the space is anticipated to take 18-24 months.
Arteco Partners of Pomona, parent company of Riverside Food Hall LP, already operates the successful Claremont Packing House in Los Angeles County and has been negotiating with the City since last December. The Mess Hall project is expected to generate 75 full- and part-time jobs and 25 construction jobs.
“Downtown Riverside has evolved into a dining destination, and the Mess Hall project will complement and enhance that reputation around the region,” said City Councilman Mike Gardner, who represents downtown. “In that regard, this project is a victory for the entire hospitality industry in the downtown.”
The project also would be an opportunity to feature local food, including locally-grown fruits and vegetables, as envisioned through the ongoing Grow Riverside movement. Grow Riverside is an effort to foster increases in urban agriculture in response to the nationwide move toward more locally-grown food sources.
“Riverside is the gourmet food capital of the Inland area, and Mess Hall on Market Street will only improve on that,” Mayor Pro Tem Andy Melendrez said. “Riverside residents are embracing the local food movement, and this project will be an important part of ensuring they have plenty from which to choose.”
Parent company Arteco Partners specializes in adaptive re-use and urban in-fill projects. Arteco Partners has led the revitalization of downtown Pomona and has developed projects in the surrounding cities, including the Fox Theater (Pomona), Claremont Packing House (Claremont), Pomona Packing Plant (Pomona) and the Vail Headquarters (Temecula, in progress).
More information about Riverside Food Hall LP and its parent organization, Arteco Partners, is available at: http://www.artecopartners.com .