BIZ: FRESH Air & Food community space coming this summer
Construction should begin soon on FRESH Air & Food, which will be located below The Retreat on the Hill in Cottonwood Shores. The extensive food truck court and community space will have amenities such as pickleball courts, a dog park, artisan food trucks, and more. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
FRESH Air & Food, a new food truck court and community space, is planned for Restaurant Row in Cottonwood Shores along FM 2147. The site will include space for artisan food trucks, pickleball courts, a volleyball court, a children’s play area, a dog park, a barber shop, a cigar lounge, and a fire pit. Also in the works is a two-story wine and entertainment bar built out of welded shipping containers.
“We didn’t want to make just a retail center,” owner Bob Eveleth said. “We wanted to do something more for the community.”
Eveleth, who also owns The Retreat on the Hill, said the space will welcome retreat guests and locals alike to enjoy amenities currently unavailable in Cottonwood Shores.
“The intent isn’t really taco trailers and seafood trucks. We already have tacos and seafood here,” he said. “We want to add new things that aren’t here like a cupcake place or a cool pretzel place or a cool hot dog place, for example.”
The multi-functional site will remain flexible to changing trends and evolve to match its patrons’ needs.
“We can always change the shops and trucks to match what the community needs at that moment,” Eveleth said. “I think that’s what’s pretty cool about it.”
The developer also plans to keep the tract as untouched as possible to ensure the park retains its natural beauty.
“I want to keep a lot of the funky little trees on the site,” Eveleth said. “We’ll keep the ones that are leaning over the best that we can.”
He anticipates the communal space will open by this summer.
“The beauty of this is we’re not building a 20-story building,” Eveleth said. “We’re putting in trails and stacking some containers and welding them together. That should make things move quick.”
See a full concept plan for the business on Eveleth’s YouTube page.
