BUTTE — Butte’s decision to demolish the buildings off East Park Street was very controversial; now, three developers have submitted proposals to the city to try to fill that empty space.
“I think this could be a really good opportunity for East Park Street. Ultimately the project just began with us seeing the opportunity to submit the proposal and ultimately not wanting another parking lot in Uptown Butte,” said Andy Durkin who represents developer Luke Anderson.
Developers submitted proposals before the Butte Council of Commissioners to construct new buildings on the vacant lots at 123 and 135 East Park Street. These were the sites of the Butte Rescue Mission Thrift Store and a more than 90-year-old yellow building, which were both demolished by the city over the summer.
Two developers showed proposed designs for buildings that could be used for office and retail space, along with residential housing.
“Improving the outdoor lighting, the ultimate vision of walking down East Park Street and proving that safety is something that we think could really be a game changer on East Park Street,” said Durkin.
The area includes three lots—two belong to the rescue mission and one is owned by Silver Bow County—and is valued at about $56,000. Developer Jay Platt said he’s ready to buy lots but did not elaborate on his plans for them.
“We don’t have to go to the bank, we don’t have to use third-party lenders and we can, if we so desire, sit on this for an undetermined amount of time,” said developer Jay Platt.
J.J. Adams, who co-owns the Finlen Hotel, proposed a mixed-use building of retail and residential. He suggested adding more residential housing in Uptown will help businesses there.
“When people organize their life that way, when they want to live close to the coffee shop type thing, they go a lot, they don’t go once in a while, they go a lot,” said Adams.
A panel of city officials and rescue mission members will review the proposals and later make a recommendation to the commissioners who will make the final decision.
