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Restaurant buys ‘welcome center,’ gears for expansion
One of the houses, the westernmost, was converted 18 years ago to start FRBBQ at 2330 W. Colorado Ave. For most of those years, the business was a renter. According to Front Range owner Brian Fortinberry, he kept trying to buy the building, and a deal was finally struck in 2017. That made two houses for FRBBQ, as he'd already been able to buy the house next door (2326 W. Colorado) in 2014. The third house (2324 W. Colorado) is just east of the second. It was being used until recently by the Old Colorado City Associates (OCCA) business group, which had bought it in 2014 for its “welcome center” for visitors. But the current OCCA board decided that the building wasn't working out (see “Santa” article, Page 1) and sold it in August to FRBBQ. Now with all three buildings, Fortinberry is working with Colorado Springs Planning to figure out how he can use them for an expansion. Plans are still in the concept stage, with the possibility of construction in 2019, Fortinberry said in a recent interview. Among his goals are connecting the buildings, installing a kitchen that's three times bigger, creating more outside dining space and preserving the historic look of the two added houses while possibly a touch or two from the deep South, where he's from. One thing he's sure of: “It will be a real cool spot for Westsiders.” Westside Pioneer article |