ESCANABA – Plans are progressing for construction of a Meijer store in Escanaba, according to a company official who confirmed the corporation has purchased property to build a supercenter here.

“We now own the site in Escanaba and are continuing to move through the various due diligence and site planning activities for a future Meijer store,” stated Frank Guglielmi, senior director of communications for Meijer, in an email to the Daily Press on Tuesday.

Escanaba Assessor Daina Norden confirmed the property sale took place last month. Meijer purchased 50 acres for $3.5 million from Marvin Pouliot and Frank Stropich on Oct. 14, according to the deed.

The city’s planning commission approved site plans in March for construction of a 208,447-square-foot retail and grocery store and a 2,509-square-foot gas station on the property bordered by North 26th Street, 3rd Avenue North, North 30th Street, and 6th Avenue North.

In addition to the store and gas station, the $15 million project includes Meijer paying for the new construction of three blocks of North 26th Street between 3rd and 6th avenues, including utilities. Groundbreaking is expected to take place this spring.

“It generally takes about 12 to 14 months to build a new Meijer store,” stated Guglielmi. “We do not have an opening date set yet, but the earliest that store would open would be 2017.”

Guglielmi said Meijer’s standard supercenter is approximately 190,000 square feet and employs 250 to 300 team members.

The Escanaba store is expected to employ 210 to 250 employees for three shifts 24 hours a day, 364 days a year, according to Cris Jones, real estate manager for Meijer, who presented the site plans to the Escanaba Planning Commission on March 18.

Meijer’s wetlands permit for a retention pond was issued in May by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

According to Escanaba’s master plan, the city considers the land where Meijer is building its superstore as a “commercial growth area” for a “regional retail hub” to accommodate retail big box stores. Walmart is located in this area, east of the Meijer site.

The new Meijer store and gas station complex is estimated to be valued at $7 million and is expected to generate more than $200,000 in annual tax revenue.

According to Meijer’s website, the Grand Rapids-based retailer operates 222 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

“As a pioneer of the ‘one-stop shopping’ concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, garden centers and electronic offerings,” states the website at www.meijer.com.