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STOCKTON, Calif. -- You might call it a Downtown Stockton "re-boot." Citrus Heights-based Bearpaw Incorporated is putting its boots on the ground, breathing new life into buildings many consider past their prime.
"Tom Romeo the owner of Bearpaw has ties to Stockton. His brother went to UOP here and played football," said John Richey, General Counsel for Bearpaw.
And, when Romeo took a tour of Downtown Stockton, the Juliet he fell in love with was three-fold: The 1873 Mansion Inn, The Argonaut Hotel next door, and a third building a few blocks away. The cost? Just less than $5 million. The vision? Creating more than five-dozen, mixed use, market-rate apartments, plus retail.
"We want to build a little community that's kind of self-sustaining, with businesses on the bottom and tenants that work downstairs and live upstairs," Richey said.
Extensive work is underway. The Mansion Inn came with half its units occupied. But all are getting the full update treatment.
"I think we're excited about their investment in Stockton and we look forward to being a successful project," said Micah Runner, Stockton Economic Development Director.
Marie Pease is excited, too. So much so, a month ago she opened The Freckled Moon gift shop, selling handcrafted items from local artists. She both lives and works at the bottom of the Mansion Inn.
"I love downtown. Just the architecture and the people. It's just awesome to be here," said Pease.
Bearpaw plans to complete the renovation of their buildings by April 2019. But, the bigger picture? They hope to give the "boot" to idea that Downtown Stockton is not the place to be.
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