Second life for Cottonwood Plaza

A couple of years ago, people would get excited to see workers at Bishop’s Cottonwood Plaza clearing out the weeds or putting on a coat of paint, hopeful the once hopping retail and restaurant spot would find some tenants. But the weeds would grow back after the workers left, the ‘For Lease’ signs would eventually fade and tear, and the place would remain empty except to stir rumors that an In-N-Out Burger or Trader Joes was coming to town. No one is going to believe the place is open for business until they see businesses open.

“Everybody’s been waiting to see what’s going to happen; now’s the time,” Randi Pritchett of Eastern Sierra Realty told The Sheet.

The plaza’s demise is as legendary as it is complicated. Charles Caldwell of Kearsarge Investments was leasing the property and then subleasing the buildings. Caldwell’s lease was up at the end of 2008 with the stipulation in his lease that the buildings be removed. A couple weeks before the end of the year, at Christmas, the lessees were given notice to vacate the property.  Employees at Burger King were given a few days’ notice that they would be out of work. Days before the final tenants Hing’s Donuts and others were to leave, a water main froze and broke, flooding the upstairs of the east building. It was unsure whether the buildings would remain or what would happen until the property owner, Lee Crosby of Crosby Street in Bishop took full ownership of the property and building, saving them from demolition.

The defunct retail and restaurant space has been empty for years, and sits cattycorner to the old Kmart building that’s been empty for more than a decade. The old Kmart building, now owned by Safeway Corporation, has been taken off the market with no explanation, according to the real estate website LoopNet.

The Cottonwood Plaza has been empty not for lack of trying to fill it. Ray and Liz Eslamiye, now Liz Amiri, bought the property in 2011. The property was revamped and ready for tenants when Ray passed away suddenly and plans were on hold.

Rumors of an El Pollo Loco at Cottonwood Plaza have been floating around Bishop for years. Rightly so, as owner Liz Amiri owns a couple El Pollo Loco restaurants and the standalone drive-thru facility, formerly Burger King, would be an ideal spot for a chicken joint. But there’s been no talk of such a move.

Trader Joes and In-N-Out Burger have been contacted to inquire about any interest in Bishop. Pritchard said Bishop has the traffic numbers but no guarantee those people will stop for a burger, and there is not a big enough local population to sustain a chain business.

But now Perry’s Italian Café is moving from Mammoth to fill the space once occupied by Hing’s Donuts and Silver Bear Trading Post. The restaurant’s new address in the phonebook is 787 N. Main Street, Bishop—Cottonwood Plaza. The complete upstairs of the west building is filled with Department of Fish and Wildlife offices.

Pritchard said the complex has been completely renovated, with new electrical and plumbing and build-to-suit options. Upgrades include individual heating/air conditioning and electrical boxes. In the past, one electrical box would serve four or five tenants and it was a constant fight as to who would pay the bill and how much. There’s also a new, communal grease trap connected to each restaurant site.

The Amiris are also going to connect the entire facility to the high-speed fiber optic cable Digital 395, Pritchard said.

The Amiris are dedicated to keeping the plaza open and maintained, he said. “They’re here for the long haul.”