A proposed resort in Darby, Montana, is leading to heated debate. Several hundred people gathered in the Darby Community Center Wednesday, hoping to hear details about the planned development.
Developer Brooks Pace said he is looking to spend at least $30 million to build The Bitterroot Resort in the Montanian town. The resort has been described as a multi-story hotel with lodges and a pool house that contains a restaurant, bar, and casino.
Wednesday’s gathering, which was organized on social media, included more than two hours of residents asking Pace about the project, reports KPAX. According to the developer, main customers would be tourists coming to Darby for rodeo weekends or to see the set for television hit show Yellowstone, which Pace believes could be willing to pay steep prices for luxury accommodations.
At the gathering, Pace noted the master development plan for the resort was designed to comply with a state law that says the entrance to a bar cannot be within 600 feet of a school. The developer, who has built bars and other projects in Utah, said Darby already has establishments like the one he is proposing when challenged about bringing his development to the small town.
“I think you’ve got plenty of bars and casinos for plenty of problems if you want to have them,” Pace said, as reported by KAPX. “But I haven’t seen any fights in the street.”
However, after the meeting, Pace admitted there are a lot of hurdles to clear for the project to be successful, and noted: “I think the town has a pretty bad attitude about the project so far, and I think some of that is my fault. That I didn’t have this town hall meeting four, five months ago when we were finally settling on a plan.”
Those in favor of the project believe that the resort could create jobs and entice tourists to stay in Darby when visiting, instead of taking their money to other Bitterroot towns. Pace further said he imagined The Bitterroot Resort as a “classy” place that would bring opportunity instead of problems, and highlighted he is willing to follow the lead of the city council.
“If they shoot this project down because they convince the city council they just don’t want it and it’s their town, I can live with it,” Pace said, as per the cited source. “I don’t need this. I’m doing this because I want to stay alive doing something productive, and I think this is needed.”
The vote on the project is now set to go before the town council. The council could discuss the project as early as Tuesday, April 25, at 6 p.m. in the Darby Town Hall.
