Hy-Vee plans fall construction on east side

After wooded land along East Sunshine Street was cleared last year, Hy-Vee Inc. this fall plans to start construction on a new store.

Company spokesperson Tina Potthoff said Hy-Vee Construction, a subsidiary, is serving as general contractor for the project, and architecture and engineering work also is being handled in-house. She said the store would open in 2021, but an exact opening date hasn't been set.

Springfield Business Journal previously reported West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee had plans for an 85,000-square-foot, $12.7 million store on East Sunshine Street. Land clearing began in spring 2019 at 2130-2150 E. Sunshine St.

The East Sunshine store is a project that's at least eight years in the making. Springfield City Council in 2012 approved the rezoning of the 11.5-acre site to general retail. The rezoning had faced opposition from more than 20 residents, according to SBJ archives.

Hy-Vee's first Springfield store, at 1720 W. Battlefield Road, opened in 2011. The 86,000-square-foot store represented a $17 million investment.

Hy-Vee operates more than 240 stores in Missouri and seven other states, according to its website.

The company’s plans to start construction on the new Springfield store this year were first reported by 417 Magazine.