[B]URLINGTON — Petra Cliffs, a rock climbing center and mountaineering school, has purchased a portion of City Market’s property in Burlington’s South End with the intention of expanding operations, the center and City Market said this week.
City Market / Onion River Co-op General Manager John Tashiro announced the sale on Monday, to Andrea and Steve Charest of Petra Cliffs Climbing Center & Mountaineering School.
“Their plans for expansion and their focus on community wellness were inspiring pieces of their proposal and presentation to our team,” Tashiro said in a statement. “Petra Cliffs is well-known and respected in the community and we welcome their move just down the street to become our (even closer) neighbor.”
The climbing center is currently located at 105 Briggs St. The 1.67 acre portion of City Market land is down the street at 75 Briggs St.
When City Market / Onion River Co-op purchased the 4.5-acre property at 207 Flynn Ave. for its planned expansion into the city’s South End, the intention was to subdivide the lot and bring in a suitable partner, Tashiro said. The company put out a request for proposals last March, with the goal of making a decision within a year. The South End City Market opened for business last November.
The RFP caught Andrea and Steve Charest’s interest. Their plan is to open a “brand new, state-of-the-art facility” at 75 Briggs St., Steve Charest said. “We hope to about double our current gross floor area and have climbable walls to around 45 feet.”
Charest said they plan to include facilities for yoga and fitness, as well as a drop-off child care center and community/family space. The climbing center and school also has plans for a summer camp for kids, climbing teams and adult climbing and training programming.
The Charests declined to disclose the purchase price, which will be made public at the closing, which they said would occur within six months.
“We’ve had plans for growth for several years,” Andrea Charest said. “Our organizational goals are well aligned, we enjoy some of the same members and we look forward to future collaborations with co-op members.”
