Media: Harbor Square begins to take shape in Suisun City

By Carol Bogart | Daily Republic

SUISUN CITY - Metal scaffolding rises from the construction site, framing has begun, and Harbor Square is quickly taking shape at the corner of Main and Solano streets in the city's Waterfront District.

The office/retail/restaurant complex is being developed by Suisun City-based Main Street West Partners. Managing partners Frank Marinello and Mike Rice said the 40,000-square-foot, two-story building is on track to open in September as projected.

Harbor Square will lease space in the range of $2 per square foot per month, Marinello said, and have as many as 10 offices on the second floor, ranging from 1,500 to 5,000 square feet. There will also be an open courtyard.

Marinello said no two restaurant tenants will offer the same cuisine. He believes the addition of dining options may bring more patrons to existing establishments such as the Athenian Grill and Babs Delta Diner.

Ground will be broken next month on the 102-room waterfront Hampton Suites Hotel, said Marinello, who added the hotel won't have a restaurant. The hotel's patrons will be able to walk to what will soon be an array of restaurant choices.

Also within walking distance of new waterfront amenities will be people who buy one of 16 homes in a Lotz Way development, which Rice and Marinello said will break ground later this year.

Rice said Main Street West is sufficiently optimistic about the future of the housing market that the developer hopes to build as many as 80 homes on a waterfront parcel located between City Hall, the lighthouse and the new hotel, which is slated to open in spring 2009.

Suisun City is uniquely situated to take advantage of its waterfront appeal, Marinello said, in that it has Solano County's only commuter rail, the Capitol Corridor. He points to a growing demand from consumers for mass transit that is within walking distance of coffee shops, stores and restaurants.

'It's all walkable,' he said.

Main Street West Partners controls 14 parcels in Suisun City, Marinello said, and planned developments 'represent a $100 million investment in Suisun.'

Harbor Square is currently in discussions with multiple high quality potential tenants, Marinello said. Once the building opens in the fall, 'I'm confident it will be filled soon thereafter,' he said.

Reach Carol Bogart at 427-6955 or at cbogart@dailyrepublic.net.