Council Ponders Another One Big Sky Investment
The Gazette reports that the Billings City Council will decide on Monday, March 26th whether to invest $100,000 toward further study that could lead to the One Big Sky Center concept for downtown economic development.
That commitment will get a group of partners, including the Downtown Billings Alliance, the Tourism Business Improvement District and what Big Sky’s spokesman called [quote] “a handful of private business interests downtown” [end quote] close to the $675,000 goal to augment the Hammes Corporation’s proposed $1.3 million commitment to study the development of two downtown districts – one based on health and wellness, the other on hospitality.
Katy Easton, DBA’s executive director, said her organization doesn’t have sufficient tax increment financing to cover the $400,000, because of commitments to other pending projects. The city has already committed $800,000 to purchase the Yesteryears building.