Texas Developer Describes Plans to Transform Kalispell Center Mall into Destination Hub
Texas-based SHOP Development purchased the 348,742-square-foot property last year with plans to bring retail, restaurants and cultural offerings along the Parkline Trail in downtown Kalispell
By Maggie Dresser
Texas developers say they’ve identified a slew of possibilities at the Kalispell Center Mall since purchasing the property last year, including a music venue, restaurants, retail and breweries along with the library’s relocation to transform the Main Street property into an “active 18-hour spot.”
John Doubleday of SHOP Development on May 8 told the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Growth Summit audience about the loose plans for the 348,742-square-foot lot in central Kalispell along the Parkline Trail.
“The Parkline Trail is an enormous catalyst for the project itself,” Doubleday said. “It’s one of the greatest things the city has accomplished.”
Dubbing it the “Parkline District,” developers plan to renovate the Kalispell Center Mall with concepts that could include retail, restaurants, multifamily housing and an event facility. There are currently plans to relocate the ImagineIF Library to the west side of the property while the company is having conversations with the Glacier Art Museum director to potentially include a green space with a sculpture garden. The Red Lion Hotel would likely see upgrades and renovations in the future while the former Herberger’s would see the most drastic redevelopment.
“We want to have great food, we want to have great coffee, we want to have health and wellness – the things that reflect the daily needs and the lives of the people in this room and in the broader community itself so that the mall is an active 18-hour spot,” Doubleday said. “The person who is getting up before dawn who’s going for a run and wants to have coffee is going to stop by and do that. The mom with the stroller who’s going to meet people for lunch and then head out on the trail.”
Doubleday said there’s been “no shortage of interest” from the community related to the mall’s redevelopment and while the planning process is still in the early stages, he said there have been conversations with companies like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and an event group that “wants to do a deal.”
To complement the Kalispell Center Mall purchase, SHOP also recently closed on the Whitefish Mountain Center mall on U.S. Highway 93.
“It’s an asset that needs some significant investment but it’s a great opportunity and one that has not been something that the previous owners could invest into,” Doubleday said. “The synergies between the two properties certainly exist. There will be opportunities for some tenants who would like to be here to be in Whitefish as well.”
In Kalispell, business owners emphasized the city’s future as an “18-hour city,” but acknowledged challenges like the limited restaurants, liquor licenses and nightlife.
Casey Wyckoff of Bigfork-based LSW Architects described a recent sunny Saturday afternoon where he witnessed few pedestrians and minimal activity in downtown Kalispell.
“I think this brings up challenges to address,” Wyckoff said. “Before we can be an 18-hour city, we need to be an 8-hour city.”
Wyckoff encouraged business leaders to take advantage of empty space in downtown Kalispell and find ways to infill.
“We’ve got vacant buildings – it’s a great blank canvas,” Wyckoff said. “We have opportunities to transform these and give them new life in a way that is meaningful and part of the fabric of downtown and make places you want to be – not just for transactions.”
