Photo from architectural drawing This rendering submitted by Meijer to the Austintown Township zoning office reveals the design for a store on Mahoning Avenue. Woolpert Engineering of Dayton submitted the designs and renderings. A Meijer gas station also will be in front of the store, with 12 gas pumps.

AUSTINTOWN — Meijer has submitted plans to the Austintown Township zoning office for a store on Mahoning Avenue.

It will be on 16.5 acres that the grocery store giant bought in 2017.

The new store will be almost 160,000 square feet and will be very similar to the one already in Boardman.

The entrance to Meijer will be right across from Chick-fil-A. In fact, a stop light will be installed so patrons can drive right across from Meijer to Chick-fil-A.

Township Trustee Robert Santos said Austintown wants Meijer to put in the light as soon as possible. He also said a new traffic study will need to be completed, as the last study was completed in 2016.

“I am very excited this is finally coming to fruition,” Santos said. “Any time we get a new business is great, but especially one of this magnitude is exciting. Our residents have been wanting this for a long time.”

The zoning office still needs to review what’s been submitted and other procedures need to be followed, but Santos said he is hopeful Meijer will break ground within a year.

When Meijer bought the property, the old Austintown Middle School building still was on the site. Santos said he does not think Meijer would have committed to buying such a large property and knocking down that building if it is not confident that it will succeed.

Woolpert Engineering of Dayton submitted the designs and renderings.

A Meijer gas station also will be in front of the store, near the entrance across from Chick-fil-A, as well as a small convenience store. The rendering shows a total of 12 gas pumps.