Fate downtown revitalization looks to bring community together

FATE, TX – August 24, 2020 — “Fate brought us here.”

You’ll find that phrase painted on the beautiful mural by artist Caleb Jacks in downtown Fate – one of many exciting and recent additions to the heart of the city. Even in the midst of a pandemic, the city has been working diligently to build out their downtown area and put Fate on the map as a destination location in Rockwall County.

“We’re trying to bring in locally-owned businesses with their own unique character, like Sauce & Vine and It’s Fate Creamery – both of those are unique types of businesses not only to Fate but to all of Rockwall County,” said Fate City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem David Billings. “We also want to make downtown as walkable as possible, with people being able to walk from their housing to different points in the downtown area.”

Their hard work has certainly paid off, with lots of locally-owned fun retail and restaurants making a home alongside some truly staple businesses. Read on to find out more about some exciting new developments in downtown Fate.

Villages at Fate

Enjoy luxury living with a safe, small-town vibe and a highly convenient location with the Villages at Fate! Completed in the spring of 2020, this three-story mixed-use building offers the best of both worlds when it comes to living and working in downtown Fate. The development features 18 upscale, urban-living style apartments with retail/restaurant space in the bottom units. Inside every apartment at Villages at Fate, you’ll find upgraded features such as granite countertops, faux wood flooring and stain concrete. They all come move-in ready with full kitchen appliances and a washer/dryer.

For those who commute to work in other cities, Villages at Fate’s location in the heart of downtown Fate provides quick and easy access to I-30, only a minute’s drive from the complex. Folks can also enjoy some fabulous fare downstairs at It’s Fate Creamery and the recently announced Pablo’s Restaurant and Cantina. Plus, the elaborate mural painted on the side of Along Came Tamale across the street adds to the ambiance and provides a perfect opportunity for a ‘Gram-worthy selfie!

The complex offers 1 Bed/1 Bath and 2 Bed/2 Bath units, with commercial and apartment leasing options now available. To inquire about apartment leasing options call Ridge Pointe Commercial Real Estate Agent Jeanie Gillock at 214-304-8774. For commercial leasing call agent David English at 214-676-6424.

It’s Fate Creamery

What’s not to love about edible cookie dough and homemade ice cream? Located at the Villages at Fate complex, this soon-to-open creamery is sure to leave you drooling with its premium ice cream, Italian ice and edible cookie dough – all crafted on site! Not only is the cookie dough safe to eat, you can also take it home and bake your own cookies with it. The cookie dough will be available in pints and come in some mouthwatering flavors such as chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, fluffernutter, cake batter and brownie batter. Be on the lookout for fresh, homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches for purchase alongside their ice cream and Italian ice as well.

The creamery is owned and operated by Fate residents and retired Air Force veterans Robert and Victoria Egbert. They got the idea to form the creamery in 2018 while discussing the opening plans for their custom home décor boutique, Studio 26. They originally were going to house a small ice cream counter inside the boutique. Over the next two years, that idea evolved and eventually came to fruition when they signed a lease at the location on Main Street in downtown Fate.

It’s Fate Creamery has a tentative opening date in September 2020. Like their Facebook page to get updates on when they’ll officially open.

Pablo’s Restaurant and Cantina

Co-owners Pablo Llanito and Elizabeth and Woody Leath will bring this full-service sit-down Mexican cuisine restaurant into the two-story patio space at the Villages of Fate. The menu will feature plenty of flavor-filled authentic Mexican dishes. Families can enjoy their meal in one of three dining areas, including an outdoor patio upstairs overlooking the downtown area. And on the weekends, folks will enjoy live music while they dine!

“Both Pablo and I have been dreaming of this cantina concept for years,” said Elizabeth Leath. “While location scouting, we determined that downtown Fate was perfect for us because of the population boom and the City’s vision for downtown. Between the supportive residents, classy design of the Villages of Fate and the location, we fell in love with Fate.”

Interior finishes are currently underway, with an expected opening in October 2020.

Read more about the upcoming restaurant here.

Sauce & Vine

This is one of the most exciting new developments coming to downtown Fate. The Italian-inspired, full-service restaurant will offer a lively, family-friendly atmosphere with recipes that’ll have you doing a chef’s kiss.

Sauce & Vine will have a comfortable, open air, modern rustic dining area, as well as a farm-stand-style market for takeout meals, fresh bread, gelato, and other house-made products. The Sauce & Vine kitchen will feature wood-fired pizzas from two beautiful ovens at the heart of the restaurant. In addition, homemade pastas with regional influences and other family favorites will make Sauce &Vine a regular destination for guests. Two large patios will flank each side of the restaurant for guests to enjoy the views of the city and park. Guests can have some fun on the bocce courts while children play in the nearby custom play area.

Leading this exciting new destination restaurant is Executive Chef Ted Grieb, who has over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Chef Grieb was instrumental in reinvigorating Rockwall’s downtown dining experience, having launched multiple popular dining concepts including Square Market and Zanata.

The restaurant will have a newly renovated downtown park as its backdrop. The park will bring areas for food trucks, a gazebo, an amphitheater, a Farmers Market, a beautiful historic garden, and plenty of additional parking for downtown.

Construction is expected to begin later this year. Stay tuned to BlueRibbonNews.com for updates.

FRESH by Brookshire’s

Fate will finally get it’s very own grocery store when FRESH by Brookshire’s opens its doors sometime next year. Only the second store of its kind in the country, this brand new concept store by Brookshire’s will feature options for takeout, curbside to go, home delivery and dine-in. FRESH is unlike any grocery store you’ve ever visited; It’s a place where folks come to shop, eat and enjoy the wonders of food. FRESH offers the highest quality produce, meat, seafood, flowers and chef-prepared specialties available for takeout, with patio dining and catering also available.

The building itself is designed with the sole focus of being as environmental-friendly as possible. In fact, FRESH is the first grocery store in east Texas to receive the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

FRESH will anchor a multitude of incoming developments including Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods, a travel plaza with Sonic and Which Wich, along with other retail and restaurants.

The store is expected to break ground before the end of 2020, with an anticipated opening in 2021.

Cultivating a thriving community

All the improvements and new developments coming to downtown Fate mark years of rigorous planning from the city’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan – with one particular goal in mind.

“You can live in the city of Fate, have a Rockwall zip code, and your kids go to Royse City ISD,” said Fate Assistant City Manager Justin Weiss. “So we’re trying to figure out how to get the community together, and what better way to do that than with the downtown area – the heart of the community.”

Weiss compared the process of building out the City of Fate to that of growing a bamboo plant. When you plant the seed of a bamboo in the ground and water it for a year, he said, nothing happens. You water it again the second year, and still nothing happens. Finally, after five years of doing this, the bamboo will start shooting out of the ground, and grow 90 feet tall in the span of just six weeks.

“It was five years of diligently watering that plant, which created a root system that allowed it to grow as quickly as it did. That’s where the City of Fate is,” Weiss said. “We have been cultivating what is happening in the community, creating an environment where we can flourish.”

Story and photos by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News.

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