Harbor Freight Tools project builds momentum

After some changes in building plans, it can be said: Coming soon, Harbor Freight Tools.

The retail business is once again on a steady pace to open its newest location in Town Plaza, which previously was a five-screen movie theater.

The project is progressing and picking up speed after revisions to the initial plan required a new building permit.

According to Todd Richburg, City of Cape Girardeau plan reviewer and site inspector, the new plans for the property differ from the previous plans by essentially introducing a "restructured space," including the stockroom, and making the entire floor plan "a lot cleaner."

The revised plan calls for a dividing wall between the two main areas in the L-shaped building plan. Other changes are minor, including repositioned exits and an extra ramp added to one of the exits.

An excavator sits at the future store location for Harbor Freight Tools in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

"They feel [the new plans] will work better," Richburg said, when asked the reason for the changes.

Commercial real-estate broker Tom Kelsey explained that basically there was a need for "gutting that whole building" and "they found some challenges when trying to do the plan they wanted to do."

Kelsey said "they've been in 'pre-engineering' capacity all this time to work out how they can get the configuration in the building, and the structural details all accordingly," which in part accounts for the extended completion time.

"They had to go back and get some re-engineering plans. There had to be some changes with the landlord and the tenant, as far as how they would accomplish some of those things," Kelsey said. "There has been an ongoing engineering and also negotiation in the two parties, and now according to the landlord, that's all squared away."

A new building permit was issued to Lakeview Construction Inc. on Feb. 20.

Kelsey said the initial challenge involved upgrading the building's structure and flooring.

"They built that in the '70s there were only two, what we call 'theater rooms,' where you actually saw the movies," Kelsey said. "And then as time went on, they decided they were going to add another three."

The building's flooring is all "subgrade," according to Kelsey, which he explained needs to be "built up," because the floor slanted and needed to be made suitable.

"A retailer doesn't want to have all those slanted rooms. And the way it was built, you had an outside structural wall, and then they built on three more viewing rooms. It worked for [the previous tenant], because they just had to cut an opening for a hallway to go into those," Kelsey said. "They needed to open that all up, for a typical retail setting. That's what we ran into earlier with structural things needing to be worked out."

Kelsey said his understanding is that "it's on its way to being done."

"I did notice they had just put up a banner, and I think that's been within the last week or so," Kelsey said. "That's a positive sign."

Harbor Freight, a California-based chain founded in 1977 that now has more than 800 stores nationwide, stocks a variety of tools, including automotive, air and power tools, shop equipment and hand tools.

It already has three stores -- Poplar Bluff and Farmington, in Missouri, as well as Paducah, Kentucky -- within 80 miles of Cape Girardeau.

At the time of the story there was no definite occupancy date for the Cape Girardeau Harbor Freight Tools location.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Pertinent address:

2136 William Street

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

63703