Bass Pro Shops is moving closer to breaking ground in Altoona after a site plan and rezoning for the development was recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night.

Chad Quick, a city planner, said the commission doesn’t have any issues with the zoning, which is in line with the original comprehensive plan for the area. The city is responsible for the infrastructure of the site, Quick said, including the development of Bass Pro Drive, a new street that will eventually connect Hubbell Avenue to the retail store.

The Altoona Economic Development Corp., a private nonprofit company started in October 2007, owns the 27-acre site, and will also own the building, located south of Interstate 80 at 3801 Adventureland Drive.

Tom Hadden, the executive director of Metro Waste Authority Corp. and one of three board members who operate Altoona Economic Development Corp., said once details regarding the infrastructure are worked out, Bass Pro Shops will choose a contractor to develop the land and building. Construction could begin in early August, pending final approval by the City Council on Aug. 4.

The Altoona Economic Development Corp. will oversee the project, working directly with Bass Pro Shops as the project moves forward.

Upon completion, the retailer will lease the space and building from the Altoona Economic Development Corporation, Hadden said.

The 144,450-square-foot Bass Pro Shop will include a bowling alley and restaurant, as well as a small video arcade and shooting gallery.

Hadden said Bass Pro Shops was the driving force behind the formation of the Altoona Economic Development Corporation and that there may be other projects in the northwest corner of Altoona – a 300-acre area bounded by Interstate 80 – that the nonprofit could be involved with. He commended the city for not allowing “haphazard development” in the vicinity, calling it a “prime corner” that could spur other types of development in Altoona, such as retail shops and hotels to complement Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino and Adventureland Park.

Bass Pro Shops is a regional attraction that will be a “great asset to the metro area” Hadden said, adding that the outdoor store will be an “anchor” for retail development at the southeast corner of the intersection of I-80 and the U.S. Highway 65 bypass.

Altoona will be the home of Bass Pro Shops’ second store in Iowa when it opens in August 2009. Based in Springfield, Mo., the chain currently has 47 retail stores in 27 states and Canada.