In the video above, Aneesa Coomer reports on the annual "Ignite Great Falls" event hosted by the Great Falls Development Alliance on Friday, January 10, 2025, to highlight recent and future development within the community.
More than two dozen speakers from businesses and organizations gave updates on their growth and expansion. A few highlights included some exciting upcoming construction projects.
The biggest announcement came from Ted Mitchell of Mitchell Development. The Great Falls real estate developer announced a 100-acre development on the east end of Great Falls, near Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The development will feature 630,000 square feet of retail and office space, two hotels, 318 apartment units, more than a dozen restaurants, 20 acres of open space, and 831 residential units.
The project will be completed in five phases over the next 20+ years. The first phase will be the construction of one of two planned hotels, expected to be completed by Fall of 2026.
Benefis Health System announced they will begin construction this spring on a dedicated Healthy Aging Center along 10th Avenue South that will feature aging services all in one place.
Kaci Husted, a spokesperson for Benefis Health System, said, “It'll be an outpatient center that really serves as a one stop shop, makes it easy to meet all of your different health care services and help seniors in our area take a proactive role in managing their health. The center will have clinic stays for geriatricians, geriatric behavioral health providers, audiology, visiting specialists. It'll have physical physiotherapy services, lab services, care navigation services and healthy eating services.”
German bar Kellergeist at 111 Central Avenue is expanding their building to triple the size, going from around 1,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet. The space will be utilized to better accommodate more visitors and live entertainment.
Buffet-style restaurant Pizza Ranch will begin construction in the next few weeks at the former JoAnn Fabrics location at 2515 10th Avenue South, and will feature dozens of arcade games. They plan to open this spring.
Clearwater Credit Union will be taking over the former Hardee’s restaurant building at 101 First Avenue North in downtown Great Falls. They plan to begin construction this summer, and will build a net-zero-energy building. Construction is expected to last around 18 months.
Speakers from Malmstrom Air Force Base also gave some project updates. They have a current weapons generation facility under construction on base and have a few other projects in the works.
Colonel Benji Johnson explained, “We’re building out our ICBM infrastructure and got the intercontinental ballistic missile infrastructure to the tune of five more military construction projects totaling about $1 billion. Not all the money will be left to the community, but there's going to be opportunities for the community to bid on subcontracts and whatnot, whether that's construction or electrician, but there are opportunities for that.”
Col. Johnson also mentioned that the Sentinel Project - which will modernize the ICBM system of Malmstrom - may be pushed back from their original 2027 start date, and will have more updates on that timeline this coming spring.
Numerous other organizations presented on their expansions and upcoming projects contributing to the growth of the community. The Development Alliance also noted that more projects are currently in the works, but aren’t ready to be announced.
OTHER RECENT DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Station District Bar & Eatery
The Station District Bar & Eatery announced recently that it will open to the public on Friday, January 17, 2025. It is at 119 River Drive North, part of the new Station District Lofts building complex. The facility is next to the Milwaukee Station Tower on River Drive and opened in October, featuring 121 units, including studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom options. Among the dining options:
- Yama - Asian Kitchen, an Asian-fusion concept with an accent on Thai cuisine
- Barrio Cantina, serving authentic Mexican cuisine
- Cascata, featuring Italian entrees
- Big Sky Grill, with American fare featuring Montana products
- Café with a variety of coffee and espresso beverages.
A social media post states: "Customers will pay and enter their phone number to receive a text when the order is ready for pickup. Craft beer, cocktails, old-school arcade games, and shuffleboard are available to top off the meal. TVs throughout the space show sports and local sporting events."
A news release states: "This unique concept spans two floors, offering an elaborate food service operation with a spacious bar and both indoor and outdoor seating. The second-floor event space is the perfect location for corporate meetings, private events and holiday parties. The outdoor patio features views of the Missouri and can comfortably accommodate up to 100 guests."
Ocean Star Seafood Co.
Coming soon: 1420 Market Place Drive
Coming soon to the former Black Bear Diner location next to Chili's restaurant, Ocean Star Seafood Co. will be a buffet-style restaurant featuring all you can eat seafood and sushi. A spokesperson told MTN that construction is expected to continue for another few weeks, with an opening planned for late January.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom
1101 Seventh Street South
Old Chicago plans to open in the former Boston’s Pizza location on Seventh Street South. The new owners are currently working on an extensive remodel. Mike Malmberg, Vice President of the Johnson Restaurant Group in charge of the Great Falls location, said, “We’ll have 40 beers on tap along with pizza and taproom fare.” Malmberg says with the craft beers on tap, the restaurant will try to make sure as many of them as possible are local beers. There are currently three Old Chicago locations in Montana - Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula.
Ryan's Cash & Carry
833 Smelter Avenue NE
The business closed about five years and has been empty since. We have confirmed that the lot will soon be home to a new car wash.
Vintage Sellers
On The Move
Liquor store Vintage Sellers will be moving from their location in the 2Js Fresh Market building on Smelter Avenue to a new spot at West Bank Landing along Third Street NW. The new building is currently being renovated, and owners hope to move in by January.
