Article originally published on WCBU.org on October 5th, 2023

Developers, financiers and city officials broke ground Thursday morning on the future site of Tangled Roots restaurant and brewpup in Washington.

The $6 million project on the town square was originally planned to open in December of this year. However, fluctuating construction costs and other unexpected issues delayed the timeline. CL Real Estate Development, or CLRED, is now aiming for a November 2024 grand opening.

“We love building things. We love seeing them go up,” said Nathan Watson, CEO of CLRED. “It’s one of the most exciting and fulfilling things that we do in our business.”

The building is designed by architect Dirk Lohan, who designed the corporate headquarters for McDonald’s, among other projects.

Watson said Lohan’s design takes special care to gel with the surrounding buildings and overall feeling of the idyllic town square. For example, the first floor features large retail openings like the other shops in the area. The open second floor includes a timber frame that raises the building to the same height as the other two-story buildings on the square.

“This [building] has the challenge of bringing modern architecture into a historical context,” said Watson. “And I think we’ve done an excellent job.”

The construction contract with Global Builders totals about $4.5 million, before additional costs associated with creating and running a customer service business like a restaurant. When completed, the complex also will include six, short-term rental spaces that will have to be approved by the City of Washington at a later date.

Watson estimates annual revenue from the business at $5 million and $6 million. City officials estimate $120,000 annually in sales tax revenue and between $75,000 and $80,000 annually returned to the TIF fund that made the project possible.

Kelly Pohl is a local investor and supporter of the project. She reached out to Tangled Roots and developers after deciding she wanted to make her former flower shop, at the corner of Walnut Street and Washington Square, into the home of a new rooftop bar.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Pohl said. “Our team has kept us involved from the beginning. They’ve asked our opinions, and just really included us in the whole process. So we really appreciate that.”

Pohl anticipates the new business increasing traffic for other businesses on the square.

The brewpub isn’t the end of CLRED’s plans for the area. The firm also own two buildings a few doors down Walnut Street. Watson said the plan is to convert the former Knights of Columbus building and the closed Prep Freeze Cook into an event center, an outdoor event space and a retail space.

“We’ve always said that once we’re in a community, we’d like to keep on building,” said Watson. “It helps our existing investment, but also, in the challenging environment that we’re in, we need to diversify our revenue sources on the project.”

Article originally published on Central Illinois Proud website on October 5th, 2023

Set to open in November of 2024, the Tangled Roots Brewpub and Restaurant is what Washington officials hope makes the city a destination for those looking for a night out.

A ground-breaking event was held Thursday morning, which brought together several key participants in the development of the project. The hope for city officials, such as Mayor Gary Manier, is that the brewpub boosts the Washington economy.

“I think you’re going to see people from the entire region, Bloomington-Normal and Peoria, maybe as far as the Quad Cities,” Manier continues, “We’ve got a beautiful downtown square and now we’ve got a chance to show it off even more.”

The project is in the $8-9 million range and is spearheaded by CL Real Estate Development. CEO Nathan Watson said the idea for the project dates back to 2019.

He believes Washington is the perfect spot for a development such as this.

“Washington is ripe for a great downtown brewpub and restaurant venue,” Watson continues, “It’s got a great population and the surrounding area is in a similar situation where they’re looking for good places to dine.”

The project has also run into some hiccups along the way. An adjacent building owner could end up in court with the developers again, as they claim crews damaged their building during demolition.

The building owner’s lawyer, Brian Mooty, says his client expected damages to occur, but they thought the developers would fix the issue.

Mooty said his client had tried to enter into an agreement with the developers to stave off possible court action beyond the initial filing of a lawsuit. However, that agreement remains unsigned and the attorney spoke at a recent Washington City Council meeting where he hinted that further legal action might be taken.

Watson says workers will repair damages to adjacent buildings and they remain in communication with those buildings.

In addition to the brewpub and restaurant on the first floor, residential units, and a rooftop beer garden will overlook the downtown square. When completed, the brewpub will be the largest private investment in downtown Washington in at least a century.