Last week's announcement of a new Rite Aid drugstore to be built on the corner of South Main and East Jefferson streets as the first phase of the Centre City project was a long-awaited piece of good news for Butler. Here's to hoping that more pieces of the puzzle fall into place in the coming months.

When the Centre City project was first described and proposed by the Butler Redevelopment Authority a few years ago, it was generally well-received. But many people in Butler took a "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude.

Now, there appears to be something to believe, with the announcement of the first phase of the planned multi-use development featuring a hotel, a small convention center, some retail shops, apartments and a tier parking garage.

The building proposed by Rite Aid is to be 14,400 square feet and represents what the company says is a prototype of a new building design with more glass and natural light.

The new store will replace the existing Main Street store, which by comparison is smaller and dominated by artificial light. The convenience offered by the new Rite Aid pharmacy-drugstore will no doubt attract more people who work downtown to do shopping during their lunch break and at other times. It also will offer convenience for those who live downtown, within a reasonable distance of that part of Main Street.

The Rite Aid store can be seen as something of an anchor, in much the same way that a large retailer is the typical anchor for a mall. And with the commitment of Rite Aid to be the first piece of the Centre City project, there is a sense of forward momentum that should bolster the case being made to other developers to step forward.

In addition to representing the first step and anchor for the Centre City project, the Rite Aid building also will produce another construction project on Main Street. A new two-story office for Butler Dental Associates, one of the businesses to be displaced by the larger construction project set to begin early next year, is to be built on the empty lot on the corner of South Main and West Cunningham streets, the former Wishing Well site.

The developer of the Rite Aid building, JJJ Properties of Pittsburgh, expressed a positive viewpoint on the prospects of downtown Butler. The developer also praised the cooperation it got from the city's redevelopment authority. And those are good messages to hear.

So, presumably the same can-do attitude and determination that helped Perry O'Malley and the city redvelopment authority secure the Rite Aid building is also being applied to landing the remaining components of the Centre City project. With Rite Aid now in place, it gives greater credibility to the Centre City concept, which in turn could be useful in attracting further development.

And as with the obvious work done in advance of the Rite Aid commitment, there are discussions between O'Malley and various developers about the hotel, mini-convention center and parking garage.

Most developers with whom O'Malley has had contact see real potential in Butler, based on solid demographics and on the expectation of growth coming into the center part of the county from the booming southern regions. That positive view of the city was echoed by Ron Tarquinio of JJJProperties, who said his company sees good things in Butler and is looking forward to being in the center of the new development area.

Last week's news about Rite Aid is a positive step in a multi-stage process to reinvigorate downtown Butler. There is clearly more work to be done by the city redevelopment authority to put the entire Centre City project in place, but now that there is public awareness of progress and a commitment by a developer to build, there is more reason for optimism.

And because evidence of development and growth can lead to more development and growth, the Rite Aid announcement can be seen as an important milestone in the plan to secure a future for downtown Butler that is as bright as its past.