As Cabela’s prepares to open the doors to its new retail store in Kalispell on Thursday, Nov. 7, other businesses are gearing up to start building adjacent stores.

With Cabela’s in as a major tenant, interest in the third phase of the Spring Prairie shopping center continues to grow. There are as many as 11 more building pads to fill, Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said.

One business planning to build is MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub.

The project is a spin-off of the MacKenzie River Pizza Co. restaurant in south Kalispell. It went through Kalispell’s Architectural Review Committee on Tuesday and got “glowing remarks,” Jentz said.

“They’re submitting for a building permit. They would like to break ground the first week in November,” Jentz said.

The company could not be reached for comment about its project.

On its website it lauds the franchising opportunity as a new era and says the grill and pub restaurants “encompass everything we’ve crafted and improved upon since our humble beginning but also aim to take menu creativity and selection to a whole new level.

“The restaurants include fantastic new choices in addition to old favorites that will likely give you the difficult task of choosing between not just gourmet pizza but blackened salmon, fish and chips, meatloaf, juicy burgers, fish tacos, specialty cocktails and much more.”

The Kroenke Group, a Missouri-based development firm owned by billionaire Stan Kroenke, is spearheading the shopping center’s development and plans to open its own retail outlet, tentatively named The Shops.

The building would be able to house up to four tenants. “It’s a place for smaller shops and stores to come in,” Jentz said. “They’re having ongoing discussions.”

Jentz predicted that interest in the shopping center will continue to grow and added that his department is fielding calls about the site.

“Stay tuned,” Jentz said about the shopping center’s development.

“There’s a lot of interest up there right now. I think you’ll probably see construction up there all through the winter and into next spring and into the fall.”

On the other side of U.S. 93, Sportsman & Ski Haus is ready to build a 24,000-square-foot addition for more retail and storage space. “They want to get going in early November as well. They’ll end up at about 72,000 square feet. That’s going to be good,” Jentz said.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.