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San Marcos Gets The Urge

February 23, 2017 By Chris Orlando

The Urge Common House and Mason Ale Works craft brewery are coming to San Marcos this April.

The new entertainment venue, which includes a gastro-pub eatery, a working craft brewery and a bowling alley, is a part of the North City development that is currently under construction at the corner of Barham Drive and Twin Oaks Valley Road.

Also coming to North City is a new class A office building that will be the home of PIMA Medical institute. The two new projects are the latest additions to the North City development, a mixed-use project area that will ultimately include commercial, residential, retail development as well as the existing student housing.

North City, which is also known as the University District Specific Plan Area, is a 214-acre planned development across from Cal State San Marcos located on both sides of Twin Oaks Valley Road at Barham Drive. The project, which will develop over the next several years, is planned to include residential units, retail shops and restaurants, parks and new hotel rooms.

The Quad, which includes 174 student-housing units, was the first of the North City buildings to develop.  It was joined last September by the Block C residential development.  Block C features 196 for-rent residential units, retail space and a 500-space parking structure. Soon to open in Block C’s retail space will be Halcyon, a coffeehouse, bar and lounge, and Stella Public House, a new “farm-to-pizza” eatery that uses local growers, ranchers and other purveyors.

April will bring the latest addition to North City: the Urge Common House and Mason Ale Works craft brewery. The restaurant and entertainment center is an adaptive re-use project that takes advantage of an existing 20,000 square foot industrial building. (If you have kids who played youth baseball or softball, you may have visited the building when it was home to The Lumber Yard batting cages.) The facility will feature the Urge Common House restaurant, Mason Ale Works craft brewery, indoor/outdoor seating for 400, various sized private meeting rooms, large industrial doors that open to outdoor seating, 8 bowling lanes, and a bocce ball court.  The unique setting, modern design and mix of entertainment uses will make The Urge Common House and Mason Ale Works an exciting new destination in San Marcos.

A new commercial office building is also under construction in North City. The building is located at Carmel Street and Campus Way is a 60,000-square-foot, 3 story, class A office building scheduled for completion early September.  PIMA Medical Institute, a private medical educational company that offers medical specialty certificates and medical associates degrees, will occupy 40,000-square-feet of the building and expects to enroll approximately 600 students in their programs. PIMA has campuses throughout the west and southwestern United States.

As the North City development continues to take shape, it will bring a range of new housing, office, retail and restaurant amenities to San Marcos.  The Urge Common House and Mason Ale Works are just a taste of what’s to come.

Article Submitted by Chris Orlando, San Marcos City Councilmember

Filed Under: Business, Dining & Entertainment, Featured

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