KITCHENER - A commercial complex planned for a portion of the former Kitchener Frame site could begin taking shape within a few months.

Rough grading work is underway at the sprawling site at Bleams Road and Homer Watson Boulevard, where old parking lots have been torn up and only two of the former factory buildings remain standing.

The developers have submitted paperwork regarding the condition of the future commercial and industrial sites. Once that is approved, additional work can proceed, said Gary Ball, a partner in the project with Marty Pathak.

"If everything goes as planned, construction could begin in late summer," Ball said. "We have interested parties in both the industrial and commercial (portions)."

The site used to house one of Kitchener's biggest factories, known variously over the years as Budd Canada, ThyssenKrupp Budd Canada and Kitchener Frame.

In an agreement reached with the city of Kitchener in 2013, Ball and Pathak gave the 16-hectare (40-acre) Budd Park to the city. Of the remaining land, 10 hectares (25 acres) will become retail, about 1.5 hectares (nearly four acres) will be commercial/medical or office, and 20 hectares (50 acres) will remain industrial.

Ball said he envisions two or three larger buildings and some smaller buildings on the retail parcel, which can accommodate up to 275,000 square feet of retail space. A grocery store, home improvement store, bank and restaurant are among the possibilities.

"It's an ideal area for retail, to accommodate the residents that live so close," he said.

Favourable weather and construction timelines could see businesses open in spring or summer 2017, Ball said.

The two industrial buildings retained from the site's former life are only about 15 years old and are in good shape to be reused, he said. One is about 80,000 square feet and the other is about 50,000 square feet.

Ball said the asphalt torn up in clearing the site is being crushed and will be reused on the property. They're also scraping topsoil and piling it at one end of the site in the hope that it can also be reused.