News that construction will continue on Historic Downtown Murrieta’s newest restaurant, Downtown PUBLic, has reinvigorated merchants and city officials alike.
Initially scheduled for a spring opening, the second location for the owners of Old Town Temecula’s popular restaurant and brewery, PUBlic House, is now on track for a fall premiere, said Andy Weigel, managing partner of Realty Trust Group, which owns the building at 24619 Washington Ave. in Murrieta where Downtown PUBlic will be.
“We officially started construction this week and we have 90 days to get it open,” Weigel said May 24 during a phone interview.
Before ground could be broken, however, there were some hurdles to maneuver. “There were some problems but the city was able to work that out,” Weigel said.
One of the issues involved a sizeable fee that needed to be paid to a local utility company early on in the process, according to Murrieta City Councilman Rick Gibbs.
“The city worked with the (Western Municipal Water District) and the owner’s rep to work out a solution,” Gibbs said. As a result of a “cooperative dialogue” during a meeting held at Murrieta City Hall, “compromise position was worked out and PUBlic House is back on track,” Gibbs said.
“WMWD and Board Chair Brenda Dennstedt are to be commended for their willingness to help,” Gibbs said. “In addition, city engineering and economic development staff deserve kudos for going the extra mile to solve a problem for a business that will contribute much to the ambience of Historic Downtown Murrieta.”
Future neighbors of Downtown PUBlic such as Adam Bouvet, owner of The Mill Restaurant, agree that it will only be good for business. Bouvet, a board member of the Historic Downtown Murrieta Association, commented on the excitement shared during a recent meeting of the group made up of merchants and stakeholders such as long-time residents.
“There is new life (in Historic Downtown Murrieta),” Bouvet said, adding that he has known Gerry Kent, owner of the PUBlic House for quite some time. “I look forward to Gerry being an addition to our downtown area…All those Temecula people who might not have a reason to come to Murrieta will stroll on down to our downtown area. It is obvious that he is going to bring business to the restaurant and vice versa. I have always been a big fan of ‘the more business the better.'”
While Kent could not be reached in time for this article, Weigel was enthused about his investment in Historic Downtown Murrieta.
“They were already interested in Historic Downtown Murrieta before they got our call,” Weigel said. “They see the potential, so we just really feel like it is going to be a great partnership.”
Another recent bright spot for the downtown area was hosting the Murrieta Cruise and Rod Run, which brought thousands to the quaint district. The Rod Run has become biannual, scheduled to take place again Oct. 17-18.
Coinciding with the recent reinvigoration, Connie McConnell, president of the Historic Downtown Murrieta Association, said the group is also trying to make its regular meetings more of a draw.
Guests at HDMA’s May 14 meeting included Murrieta City Manager Rick Dudley, Council members Gibbs and Randon Lane, and Kimberley Summers, the new assistant Murrieta city manager. All were treated to a history walk along Washington Avenue, McConnell said.
“We have decided to have a quarterly meeting in the evening and make it more fun and interesting, then just have the board meet monthly for business,” McConnell said.