URBANA – Meijer intends to start construction this fall on a 208,000-square-foot store in southeast Urbana.

The Grand Rapids, Mich., retailer expects to open its second store in Champaign-Urbana in the spring of 2008, on 32 acres it owns at the northeast corner of Windsor and Philo roads in Urbana, said Greg Heath, director of real estate for Meijer.

Surveying work will begin shortly, and the site is already being staked out, he said.

Meijer has owned its Urbana property since the early 1990s, but the company sees now as a favorable time to expand there, Heath said.

The company has 176 stores nationally, including ones in Springfield, Normal, Champaign and 10 in the Chicago area.

"The demographics (in Urbana) we see as a plus," Heath said. "It's a growing community. Our Champaign store continues to do well despite increased competition. We're committed to the community. The timing is right. We feel we can have a stronghold."

Mayor Laurel Prussing said Meijer has been looking at its Urbana site each year and finally decided the time is right for a store there. The store, similar to a supercenter, includes both food and general merchandise.

"I think it's a tremendous addition to our retail base," she said. "This is what people told us when I was running for mayor in 2005, they wanted more retail in Urbana. I think we're making strides in that."

Prussing said the addition of the store will help greatly in the city's efforts to redevelop South Philo Road, which has been hurt in recent years by the closure of Jewel and Kmart.

Prussing did not have an estimate on how much sales tax is expected to be generated by Meijer. She did say she had talked this week with the manager of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Illinois 130 about Meijer.

"He was pleased," Prussing said. "I think they like to have more businesses around because it just increases the traffic."

Heath said Meijer will be selling outlots for compatible retail businesses, such as a sit-down restaurant, a financial institution or other retail uses. The store will also include a separate gas station-convenience store similar to the Meijer in Champaign, he said.

Michael Langendorf of 1508 Trails Drive, U, was among a host of southeast Urbana residents from the Myra Ridge, Eagle Creek and Deerfield Trails subdivisions who vigorously opposed Meijer when the company first bought its Urbana property and sought commercial rezoning in 1994.

Today, Langendorf said he's less concerned, as he said his primary concern was the safety of his daughter, 11 at the time of the zoning dispute and now 23 and living in Chicago.

"I don't think it (Meijer's decision to build) has any effect on me," Langendorf said.

"The only thought I have is I think it's a stupid business decision," he added. "There's not enough business to support a Wal-Mart and a Meijer."

Langendorf eventually ran for mayor as a result of his unhappiness with the city, losing to then-incumbent Tod Satterthwaite in the 1997 Democratic primary.

Langendorf said he doesn't regret his civic involvement. He said that involvement led to a better relationship with The Atkins Group, a major southeast Urbana developer. The Atkins Group has done a quality job developing the Rose farm, at the southeast corner of Windsor and Philo roads, and listened to residents' input about the type of development they want there, he said.

Meanwhile, other developments are also in the works in southeast Urbana, Prussing noted.

Across the street from the Meijer site, at the southeast corner of Windsor and Philo, The Atkins Group has announced plans for a 7-acre neighborhood retail center to be called The Pines.

And Menards, which purchased 288 acres of prime development land along Illinois 130 last year, is expected to announce its plans for an Urbana home improvement store in coming months.