New to Merced in 2022: Upscale dining, affordable housing and mall progress. Here’s a list
City of Merced leaders are looking toward 2022 with a gleam of optimism that the new year will mark one of positive momentum for the community.
New businesses, restaurants, renovations and other upcoming plans are slated to come to fruition in the “Gateway to Yosemite” this year, ticking off several items on the list of projects Merced residents have long requested to see in their city.
“I think it will be a strong year, I really do,” Merced Mayor Matt Serratto told the Sun-Star. “I think we’re going to gather momentum.”
Here’s a look at a few of the highlights on Merced’s horizon in 2022:
Places to eat
Merced foodies may rejoice at the lineup of new dining options expected in 2022.
The latest development at the revamped historical El Capitan Hotel is an upscale restaurant. Rainbird, led by Executive Chef Quentin Garcia. It’s scheduled to make its debut Feb. 11 (just in time for Valentine’s Day) and will serve dinner and weekend brunch.
The five-course menu, described as “experimental and thought-provoking, is live on Rainbird’s website. Offerings span from a smoked cauliflower custard to a Mariposa Ranch ribeye to a black walnut cake.
Wine-lovers will have to wait a bit longer, but Vinhos Wine Lounge and Tapas is expected to open downtown in 2022 too. The lounge will be located at 427 W. Main St. and is expected to open this fall, according to the restaurant’s website.
“I’m excited to see everything coming downtown,” Serratto said. “(This year) is going to be an enormous year for downtown.”
Long sought-after chain restaurants are also slated to move closer toward serving voracious Mercedians.
The Habit Burger Grill is expected to set up shop at the Yosemite Crossings site, located at the corner of Yosemite Avenue and G Street. Although the burger chain already has a location in Atwater, this will be the first location to open doors in Merced.
A new Starbucks location is anticipated to begin serving coffee at Yosemite Crossings this year, too. Both businesses are currently under construction, according to Merced officials.
Although scheduled to open later than 2022, construction of new Crumble Cookies, West Coast Sourdough and Panda Express locations are slated to start at Yosemite Crossings as well.
Construction activity is also visible at the Merced Mall. Electrical infrastructure work began this week on the south-west parking lot, marking the start of Phase 1 of the mall’s renovation, the mall’s Facebook page announced Monday.
Visible progress like this is a sign that the mall will “come back to life” in 2022, Serratto said.
Olive Garden is set to replace the former Hometown Buffet restaurant at the mall, the City of Merced recently announced. The closest Olive Garden location is currently in Turlock.
Demolition and construction of the almost 6,500-square-foot restaurant will start this year. It will seat up to 206 people when it opens, although that date has yet to be announced.
The former Sears building will become home to a Chili’s restaurant, scheduled to start construction in 2022.
Places to live
A milestone long in the works will be reached early this year with the completion of the Childs Avenue and B Street affordable housing project.
Once finished, the Childs Court Apartments will be the first affordable housing project to be completed in Merced since 2014.
Construction of the 118-unit project is expected to wrap up in March or April, according to the city. The development will be comprised entirely of affordable housing units for low and extremely low-income individuals.
Other affordable housing projects that could see groundbreaking in 2022 include 50 units at Gateway Terrace II, 156 units at Devonwood Village and two projects at Mercy Village totaling 145 units as part of a motel conversion, according to the city.
Merced is also continuing boost its housing stock in 2022 with additional non-affordable housing projects, Development Services Director Scott McBride told the Sun-Star. “A big issue of affordability is just lack of inventory,” he said.
North Merced development will continue this year at the Bellevue Ranch Master Planned Community, where multiple builders will be doing subdivision improvements and new unit construction.
The Compass Pointe apartments’ next phase will start in 2022 as well, bolstering the development with at least 100 more units. Construction of 200 multifamily units is also expected to begin at Yosemite Avenue and McKee Road.
Another 200 units are slated for development in south Merced near Pioneer School in the Gateways Project Area.
Merced’s housing troubles largely dominated City Council discussions in 2021, as residents and elected officials alike called for new policies to make local housing more abundant and affordable.
“I think the council has challenged us to really lean into hard conversations,” Merced City Manager Stephanie Dietz said of the past year’s housing discussion. Policy shifts made in 2021 will set the city up to act on those changes in 2022, she said.
The city’s longtime low vacancy rate coupled with Merced’s place among California’s fastest growing cities poses an ongoing problem for renters and low-income residents. Meanwhile, State Auditor data shows Merced’s severe cost-burden rating, overcrowding and unavailability of units are all high.
Housing debates throughout the year culminated in a robust housing plan passed by City Council in September. The council also allocated $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund affordable housing.
The council ultimately approved housing projects totaling more than 675 new single family residential units and 268 multifamily apartment units in 2021, according to the city. Last year ended as “a good year for housing production in the City of Merced,” according to McBride.
Plus, Merced’s focus on housing throughout 2021 attracted developers’ attention.
“We have so much development interest,” McBride said, adding that the city’s housing situation is “definitely improving.”
Other inbound projects
Another long-anticipated project nearing realization is Valley-based technology company Bitwise Industries’ new downtown Merced satellite space.
Tenant improvements are currently underway but the 1635 M St. site is expected to open in 2022, according to the City of Merced. The space offers private office spaces, classrooms, a cafe and Bitwise Cowork seating.
Bitwise is also expected to provide a tech-centered workspace for budding entrepreneurs and startup companies to accompany its education component, training people in coding and other skills highly-sought in the job market.
A unique new option for family entertainment option is anticipated to arrive downtown sometime this year. Level Up Barcade is preparing to open at 325 West Main St.
Similar to a Dave and Busters, Level Up Barcade will feature a full bar and restaurant offering Mediterranean style food, plus classic arcade games, bocce ball, corn hole darts and more. The business will be open for all ages during the day and transition to 21-and-over after 9 p.m.
Families with kids will also see a new recreation opportunity in March with the opening of Merced’s San Jose Sharks “tealtop” outdoor hockey rink. A youth hockey program is to follow.
City officials say the new projects downtown and others spanning from north to south Merced have ignited an air of excitement.
“We’re drawing new investments to the community,” Deputy City Manager Frank Quintero said. “Each one is helping the city go to the next level.”
And in spite of the uncertainty cast over the future by the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to reach new heights in Merced County, the city has grown resilient and learned to effectively operate under the new normal, Dietz said.
Plus, the pandemic offered Merced one boon last year in the form of a hefty flow of federal cash. Merced’s $27 million in ARPA dollars financially bolstered many projects in need of extra funds and kick started brand new initiatives.
“What ARPA did was really unlock the potential for us to make one-time strategic investments in projects that will catapult this community for years to come,” Dietz said.
Merced City Council passed the ARPA spending plan in December. The plan funds projects ranging from refurbishing the Applegate Park Zoo to water conservation plans to stimulus payments for residents.
Between ARPA-funded plans, other city projects and what officials describe the newfound interest in Merced by businesses and developers, Mercedians can expect to see many exciting things this year.
“That’s a shift in momentum that, if anything, should be the excitement our residents feel in 2022,” Dietz said.
This story was originally published January 22, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
