Since first opening up a brewery in Riverside 13 years ago, Brian Thompson and his family dreamed of having the business next to a wide-open grassy area and water feature that could host large community gatherings.
After the Riverside City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the lease of a formerly-occupied military facility located at the front of Fairmount Park to Thompson Brewing Co., that dream is one step closer to becoming reality. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was absent.
“It’s really, really, truly exciting to be able to bring this to a community centered location,” Thompson told The Riverside Record. “We think it’s wonderful to be able to be strengthening Riverside and help it grow.”
The city and the Thompson family, according to the staff report shared at the January 6 council meeting, plan to convert the 12,000-square-foot armory building into a brewery and beer garden. The report added that Thompson Brewing Co., which operates in Riverside’s Arlington neighborhood on Indiana Avenue, intends to host live music, art events and other community-oriented activities at the location.
“There’s going to be so many activities that we’re going to revitalize the concept of even going outdoors and enjoying the outdoors,” Martha, Thompson’s wife and business partner, said. “The bones are good; [Fairmount Park] needs a little revamp and we want to contribute to that.”
The development is part of the city’s larger plan to revitalize Fairmount Park, which the city acknowledged has become outdated and overused through the years.
The brewery is set to lease the armory for at least five years, according to the staff report, with an option to extend the lease for another 20 years through four available extensions. The deal has not yet been finalized, according to documents shared at Tuesday’s meeting.
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The building is also still far from being operational, according to the report. The city plans to spend $2.5 million in federal grant funds on building improvements to bring the space up to code and to renovate the surrounding area.
“We’re as excited about the outside of the building as we are on the inside,” Galera said. “Our plan is to actually put pickleball courts behind the armory.”
Since Thompson Brewing Co. is also planning additional improvements to the site, the city is expected to offset those costs with two years of rent credit. Starting the third year, according to the report, the brewery will need to pay $12,360 a month. That money is set to go directly to the park’s department general fund, adding approximately $450,000 in revenue by the end of the fifth year.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and the rest of the council expressed their excitement about the project at the meeting and thanked the family for investing in the city. Councilmember Philip Falcone, whose district includes the park, said he looked forward to seeing how the project reignites Fairmount Park.
The family added that they are still deciding whether they plan to move the entire operation to the armory or if the space would become a second location.
“We are going to continue ramping up Thompson Brewing Co. in our current location, and have no plans of doing anything other than keep it skyrocketing,” Thompson said, adding that it would be at least a year before they would be able to move into the armory. “We’ll see what happens then.”
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