The developer of the brand new TI:ME at Montecillo shopping center in West El Paso opened the doors to three eateries in a “soft opening” last week. The official grand opening will be held on Thursday, July 31, 2014.
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| Stonewood Modern American Grill looks upon the rest of TI:ME at Montecillo, which will have a grand opening on Thursday. (El Paso Development News) |
Stonewood Modern American Grill, Hillside Coffee & Donut Co., and Malolam Cantina are all now open daily in a run up to grand opening day. The doors to each eatery are steps away from each other in the intimate layout of the center.
TI:ME is a self-described “non-traditional” shopping center in an urban, smart growth setting within the Montecillo development. The creators have used varying building materials throughout the center, particularly on the facades of the restaurants, to help distinguish each space.
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| Malolam Cantina sits near the middle of the center, just steps away from the other two restaurants at TI:ME at Montecillo. (El Paso Development News) |
The design also includes repurposed shipping containers which may house retail uses, such as clothing stores, home decor, and a “beauty bar.” A total of ten retailers were announced earlier this year, with spaces for the tenants ranging from 80 to 1,200 square feet.
Parking for the center, which is located at the corner of Mesa Street and Montecillo Drive, lines the north, west, and south sides of the grouping of buildings. The eastern side of the center runs along Mesa Street and has very little setback.
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| A steady stream of customers kept Hillside Coffee and Donut Co. workers busy during its soft opening this past weekend. (El Paso Development News) |
The eateries are owned and operated by the same local development trio made famous by Crave Kitchen and Bar and the Independent Burger, Octavio Gomez, Nick Salgado, and Rudy Valdes. The group has formed Pan Y Agua, LLC to operate the various restaurant and bars throughout the city.
Just a stone’s throw from the TI:ME center, two other projects at the massive Montecillo development are chugging along. The first building in the Santi Dwellings complex looks nearly complete, having a more contemporary look to it than the adjacent Venue at Montecillo apartment buildings immediately to the east.
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| The first building at the Santi Dwellings complex looks nearly complete at the Montecillo Development. (El Paso Development News) |
According to general site plans for the Montecillo development, the Santi complex may consist of up to seven buildings grouped near the corner of Montecillo Drive and Castellano Drive. There are numerous other buildings in varying stages of construction at the site, with some having the majority of their facade finishes in place.
Most of the Santi buildings will house residential units, but there will be space for retail uses in at least two of the structures.
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| Apartment buildings currently under construction at the Santi Dwellings complex. (El Paso Development News) |
To the south and west of Santi, the View at Montecillo senior apartment building is nearing completion. The structure has been under construction at the site for a while, but should open soon according to the website for the apartment building (www.theviewatmontecillo.com).
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| The View at Montecillo senior apartments, nearly complete, takes a prominent spot near the top of Castellano Drive at the smart growth development. (El Paso Development News) |
The View will offer urban apartment living to the 55 and over tenant, in a building offering a myriad of services to retired seniors. Prices range from $799 to $1,307, depending on size and number of rooms, according to the website.
The four-story structure is at the top of a hill that leads down into the Santi Dwellings complex, along Castellano Drive.
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| Santi Dwellings apartment complex buildings line both sides of Castellano Drive, looking north. (El Paso Development News) |
Montecillo aims to eventually bring 2,500 apartment units and 500 single family homes to the 292-acre development, the vast majority of which is zoned as SmartCode. The developer recently broke ground on the Town Center project on the eastern side of Mesa Street. For more information, visit www.montecillo.com.