HAMMOND | The Menards expansion in the area of Columbia Avenue and 165th Street is making progress with the Plan Commission granting preliminary approval to the project Monday.

The proposal calls for the existing store, which has served as the anchor to Columbia Plaza since 1994, to be torn down and replaced with a new building.

Store officials could not be reached Tuesday, but redevelopment officials have estimated the store will double its current size, expanding north toward Kenwood Street.

The value of the expansion has been projected at some $15 million.

Director of City Planning Brian Poland said the heated portion of the new Menards building is currently proposed at 162,340 square feet with an overhang area of another 40,608 square feet. Also planned is a separate warehouse building and a fenced-in outdoor area of 167,000 square feet.

Final approval by the commission, expected in June, is subject to Menards meeting a variety of zoning requirements. They include a variance of use that must be approved by the City Council, according to Poland.

Poland said all zoning conditions must be met before the company can complete the purchase of the required property needed for the expansion from the Hammond Redevelopment Commission.

The Menards expansion is among several projects city planners hope will remake 165th Street between Columbia Avenue and Indianapolis Boulevard a primary retail/commercial engine. Others include the expansion of Jupiter Aluminum, retooling after a massive fire in 2006, and Woodmar Center, where the retention of the Carson's store, considered vital to the center's development, is still uncertain.