BUTTE - The old Herberger’s building at the Butte Plaza Mall has been locked up and abandoned for years now, but city officials say this part of the mall will soon be history as a developer plans to demolish this part of the building soon to make room for new grocery store.
“The new mall development is set to kickoff this month with some demolition plans, so they will be making way for a new build and new development will occur,” said Butte Community Development Coordinator Karen Byrnes.
Dickerhoof Properties, which bought the mall last year, has not yet announced what grocery store will fill that spot once demolition is completed. The city said the few stores still operating in the rest of the mall will remain open during the demolition.
WATCH: Herberger's Building Demolition Marks New Development Phase for Butte Plaza Mall
“You know, it will be a little bit of disruption, a little pain before the good, so we’ll have to bear with that and support all those retailers that are going to continue to operate during that time,” said Byrnes.
A regular patron of the mall is looking forward to the upcoming changes to the mall.
“I think it’s great, I am for advancement in the town, and I think it’ll be good for us to get some new life into the mall,” said Kimberley Brown.
The new owner plans to turn the rest of the mall into an outdoor plaza-style shopping center. The developer didn’t respond to requests for comment on this story by deadline.
“I think it’s a huge project for our community, and taking a property where, you know, it hasn’t been performing to its highest level for quite some time, I think we’re all aware of that. I think this is going to be good for everyone,” said Byrnes.
