Work continues on the new massive beer and restaurant supply warehouse just off of Highway 1 (between Riverside Drive and Green Valley Road) on the Manabe-Ow property in Watsonville.
Approved by the Watsonville City Council in March, the 155,847-square-foot, two-story industrial warehouse is still in the groundwork phase at 200 Manabe-Ow Road off of Ohlone Parkway.
The building will be the new location for Reyes Holdings and Golden Brand, a national wholesaler, distributor and bottler which acquired Elixyr Distributing in 2020, formerly located at 270 West Riverside Drive.
“We are excited for this opportunity to invest in our employees, operations and community through this new, state-of-the-art facility in Watsonville,” said Laurel Patrick of Reyes Holdings. “Construction is underway and we plan to open the building next fall. This new facility is an important part of our commitment to investing in our people, facilities and brands.”
Construction Manager Pehr Peterson described the company as the biggest beer distributor in California and that it had simply outgrown its Riverside Drive location.
On Oct. 6, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site.
Construction is expected to take 14 months, city officials say.
Approved by the city council in 2010, the Manabe-Ow Business Park is a 95-acre site on former agricultural land.
The council also approved a mitigated negative declaration for the project, meaning that if the developers follow certain criteria, it will not have an appreciable effect on the surrounding environment.
This includes 1,286 square feet of native riparian vegetation plantings off-site in a five-foot-wide buffer strip along the access road adjacent to the slough.
City planners say the possible traffic impacts will be lessened by two roundabouts on Ohlone Parkway, one at Lighthouse Drive and the other at Loma Vista Drive.
The warehouse would operate as a distribution facility 24 hours per day, Monday through Friday. Included in the plans are 93 parking spaces, 20 truck docks, 33 truck trailer parking stalls, 109 bike stalls, and 10 spaces for electric vehicles.
