KINGSTON — With the grading, traffic and stormwater work at Rite Aid close to being officially completed, the next large commercial construction project in Kingston is again stepping forward toward opening.

The next phase on the checklist is grounding the building with a foundation, and crews are striving to attain that goal.

“They are dealing with stormwater and traffic issues right now,” said Kitsap County Development engineering reviewer Doug Frick of the Edmonds-based Millennium Building, which is contracted to do the work. “I know they have that in hand now. At this point, they are authorized to do the foundation… They had their approved foundation footing in early April, and they’ve done some plumbing out there.”

The 13-acre development on the corner of Miller Bay Road and State Route 104 has been showing signs of progress since February, when the Site Development Activity Permit was approved. It also opened the floodgates for other business owners hoping to have a spot on the property to apply for permits. Among them was Mike Brooks, owner of Mike’s Car Wash and Detail in Poulsbo.

“We got approved for a car washing and small retail space,” he said. “One of the limiting issues is the septic system. We’re working on getting a larger system put in.”

Also soon to be constructed are the road improvements and an access road to the new commercial site, Frick said. Though a definite timeline for this work, and other construction on the building, hasn’t been announced, it should happen fairly soon as Rite Aid gathers speed toward completion. Brooks said his construction is tied to the access road and improvements, and doesn’t expect work on the car wash to begin before this fall.

Much of the property on the cleared land is still for sale through North Sound Bank, Frick said. Rite Aid also has two lots available, and he hasn’t seen any pending permits, despite several local businesses showing interest in setting up shop near the pharmaceutical outlet.

“I’m not aware of any other permits at this point,” Frick said. He added they will probably be rolling in the next couple of months or years as Rite Aid becomes visible.

“It’s exciting, but it’s been a long road to get here,” Brooks said of the wait for Rite Aid to pry open the permitting door for other businesses. “There are a lot of people that ask about us, some are concerned and some are excited.”