The years-long wait for a supermarket in Wagga's northern suburbs is one step closer to ending with the Estella shopping centre seeking construction bids.
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Raine and Horne real estate started advertising over the weekend for expressions of interest to construct the Rainbow Drive centre with FoodWorks as the "anchor" store.
The Estella, Boorooma and Gobbagombalin suburbs, some of the fastest growing areas in regional NSW, could see the centre open by late next year.
Raine and Horne Commercial director Craig Tait said the proposed centre had nearly filled its floor space but was still searching for tenants such as a gym.
"I'd say we're probably 80 to 90 per cent cent full ... cafe, takeaway, a couple of fast food outlets, some smaller retailers and we are speaking to a couple of gymnasium operators as well," he said.
Mr Tait said he could not disclose which tenants had signed on as they had agreed to lease proposals but not final contracts.
The centre's invitation to tender stated that it was seeking tenants for specialty shops in an area with "huge potential", on-site parking and easy access to the Charles Sturt University campus.
Estella Progress Association president Bruce Durham said it was an important step for the area.
"We have just been hanging on for so long and at one stage we were staring to think it was never going to happen," he said.
"In the last two or three months it has been looking better and now it seems it's all systems go.
"It will bring in a lot of people from the community who need a place to get together and have a coffee or a meal; there has been nothing like that on this side of the river for so long," Mr Durham said.
Mr Tait said the developers for the site had preliminary approval from their bank but was putting the construction back out to tender to make sure the costs would not exceed the estimates.
"Obviously there has been a reasonable increase in building costs over the past couple of years," Mr Tait said.
"Once we have got the tenders in and approved the contractor, it should be good to go. They are hoping to be under way [on construction] by September."
Boorooma resident Tim Wilson said the northern suburbs would "definitely" welcome a new gym.
"They should have a coffee shop as well; we're big on coffee," he said.
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