Two major projects under the vision of property owners Rob Rossi and John King are in the works for the northern most ends of downtown and SLO. “Fremont Square“, located at 1009-1025 Monterey St, is a proposed mixed use development that will take the place of the former Mission Cinemas movie theater. Plans for the pedestrian-oriented, platinum LEED certified building, include 60,000 square feet of infill, offering retail on the ground floor, three floors of office or mixed use space and 16-22 residential units as well as a restaurant on the fifth floor. Amenities will include decks for the 616 square foot lofts as well as six spaces for electric cars. The project proposes a 75 foot height, slightly lower than the Anderson Hotel building on the adjacent block. A fast growing tech company is said to be highly interested in the office space to add several hundred new employees to its existing workforce currently located in nearby offices.
Farther up the street, Motel Inn – the first motel in the world, located along Highway 101 near the base of Cuesta Grade – is set to return to its former glory. Conceptual plans for another joint venture by Rossi and King as well as son J. G. King and local developer-group Covelop include the re-creation of the steakhouse that was part of the originally named “Milestone Inn,” 50 bungalows, 8-10 spaces for Airstream lodging and 17-20 RV pads. The site was previously approved for a larger concept in the early 2000’s and current response to the new plans for revitalization is reported to be positive from the neighboring San Luis Drive residents. Construction is set to start next spring/summer.