What’s happening with the other Brewery Blocks restaurants in downtown Tacoma?
Camp Colvos opened its Tacoma taproom and pizza parlor last week, filling the first of three commercial vacancies at the Brewery Blocks development in downtown Tacoma after the pandemic upended plans for other expected tenants.
The Vashon-based brewery joined fellow craft producer Incline Cider, whose taproom opened in late 2019, at the $125 million multi-use site.
“Brewery Blocks is about revitalizing part of Tacoma and creating a place where people want to be,” said Mike Bartlett, president of developer Horizon Partners Northwest, in a release about the Camp Colvos opening. “We are focused on attracting businesses that are community-oriented.”
The revitalization project spans from the former Hunt & Mottet building on Pacific Avenue between 21st and 22nd streets, to a former auto and carriage service center on C Street. To that building, developer Mike Bartlett added four stories of loft apartments, which welcomed its first tenants just weeks before the pandemic hampered normal societal activity.
At the same time, Brewery Blocks confirmed its other commercial tenants — but only Camp Colvos has so far followed through with their plans.
The taproom was set to neighbor a retro-styled burger restaurant called Rockaburger (a collaboration between Philly This and Ice Cream Social) and Bitterroot BBQ from Ballard.
“When COVID hit, they had an opportunity to pull out, and they took it,” said the development’s spokesperson Alaina Kitz.
Adjacent to the brewery’s patio, the Olympia-based coffee roaster Batdorf & Bronson should begin construction any day now on a Dancing Goats cafe, according to operations director Aaron Shively. The company had hoped to open the Brewery Blocks site this summer, but various delays have impeded progress.
The company opened a cafe inside the Point Ruston Public Market early this year.
New tenants for the remaining unoccupied spaces will be announced soon.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 6:00 AM.