BUTTE — Butte officials say they’re excited about a New York developer's plan to open a new fitness center, with plans to bring several well-known businesses and retailers to a 17-acre plot off of South Harrison Avenue.
“We’re excited about it locally, as I said, we’ve been working on this for a couple years, the community’s been asking about this,” said Butte Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher.
New York-based developer Dave Leon purchased the property from the Airport Authority Board just north of the Bert Mooney Airport and is opening a Planet Fitness and plans to take on other tenants.
The city has been working with Leon for the past few years on this project.
“He’s not coming with a dream; he’s coming with a plan. It’s going to be a large-scale retail development with some restaurants and some, you know, large brand name retail development and restaurants that are going to go in there,” said Gallagher.
The city said a Sportsman’s Warehouse is one of the tenants but couldn’t comment on the other expected tenants. Leon told MTN News he would be announcing the other tenants later.
The city’s Community Development Department has been working in recent years to bring businesses to Butte.
“We have been very active in getting, like I said, our community to be more well known. A lot of folks are interested in Butte right now for development and investment on the industrial side as well as the retail side, so we’re in a great place,” said Butte Community Development Director Karen Byrnes.
Gallagher said this new development will help the local economy.
“It’s going to allow our community to not have to travel to Bozeman, Missoula, Helena to go to many of these retail shops that now may be located in Butte,” he said.
