Bustling North 19th:
Shopping area about to see another
growth spurt
By WALT WILLIAMS Chronicle Staff Writer
For a couple of weeks, passersby have been stopping at the Wheat Montana Bakery and Deli, lured by the distinctive silo-shaped entrance and familiar brand name.
They asked, Are you taking orders?
And workers at shop answered, No, not yet.
The deli finally opened to the public on Wednesday, making it the newest addition to North 19th Avenue. And it is just that sort of visibility that deli owner Jeff Riggs is banking on.
"We really, really worked hard to find the right location," he said this week. "What was really important to me is to be able to serve the people of Bozeman, yet still be able to draw people coming in from the county when they come in during the weekend to do their shopping."
North 19th has become Bozeman's largest shopping center, in terms of ground covered, and it's about to have another growth spurt.
The developers of the Gallatin Center, which houses Target, are planning a huge addition to the shopping complex; two more hotels are in the works; and the Montana Department of Transportation wants to begin work later this year to relieve some of the congestion at the intersection of 19th and Main Street.
For the business owners that have located on the road, it's all about location. Riggs calls his deli's site, at the intersection of 19th and Oak Street, "one of the busiest corners in the state."
David Wallin, owner of Bozeman Ford, moved his business approximately two miles north of its old location from the corner of Main Street and 19th, where the new Audi dealership now rests.
Visibility was a big reason for the move, but just as important was space. The new Ford dealership covers 11.3 acres of land.
"The other location for us was just too small," Wallin said. "People couldn't come in for service because they couldn't find space to park."
Gallatin Center's developers also plan to take advantage of the ample space in the area, when they add more than 90,000 feet of retail space during the next phase of construction, according to plans submitted to the city. No tenants have been announced.
Two hotels also are coming to the area, the C'Mon Inn and a Country Inn and Suites on Valley Center Road, but plans for both have been put off until the road gets a scheduled facelift.
Traffic congestion
With more construction comes more traffic. MDT data shows traffic volume on the road now averages from 16,000 to 21,000 vehicles a day, depending on the intersection where the traffic was measured.
Bozeman has budgeted $3.6 million in revenue collected from impact fees to improve and expand Valley Center Road where it bisects North 19th. City officials say the changes will allow for more development.
The city also plans in the future to expand the road north of Baxter Lane, where the four lanes suddenly shrink to three. That will help relieve some of the pressure on the road, Wallin said.
"People are barging into one another and so forth and it's a real safety concern," he said.
One major change planned for the immediate future is an MDT project to improve the intersection of 19th and Main. If the bidding for the project goes off without any hitches, it could be complete by the beginning of July, MDT engineering project manager Tom McCormick said.
The agency wants to add a second left lane to Main Street as it approaches 19th from the west, McCormick said. That will give the intersection two left turning lanes, a central through lane and a right-turn lane.
The south side of the intersection will also wind up with four lanes, with two through lanes and lanes for turning right and left.
Big box boom
Other than traffic, another disadvantage some see in North 19th's growth is the type of businesses moving in: so-called "big box" stores such as Home Depot and PETsMART.
For that reason and others, the city has thrown its support behind a parking garage for downtown Main Street that should help businesses there.
The city also granted $25,000 in big box fees to the Gallatin Valley Independent Business Alliance, a new group that wants to educate shoppers about what it says are the benefits of shopping at locally owned businesses.
Suzie Johnson of GVIBA said it used to be that local shoppers did all their shopping at locally owned businesses. Now with big boxes coming in, the group hopes to maintain a balance so the pendulum doesn't swing the other way.
Among the advantages GVIBA cites for shopping locally are:
-- A study showing that when $100 dollars are spent at a locally-owned independent business, $45 of those are recycled back into the local economy versus $13 out of $100 spent at a national chain store.
-- Locally owned businesses tend to use local goods and services more, as their accountants, advertising, lawyers, printers, bankers and product suppliers. Chains typically centralize most of those functions at corporate headquarters.
-- Local owners, typically having invested much of their life savings in their businesses, have a natural interest in the long-term health of the community.
Of course, not every business moving to North 19th is part of a national chain. Riggs pointed out that the products Wheat Montana sells are made in Montana, with the company's center of operations located outside Three Forks.
The deli probably will benefit from the continued growth in the area, which eventually will include residential development. Riggs believes the area can fit all types.
"I think that's what important, not to be extreme on either side, but to find a good balance," he said.
© Bozeman Chronicle
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