Plans call for the store to have a full line of groceries, a deli, a bakery, a pharmacy, and most Harps also have a convenience store within the store, said Cynthia Wagner, city administrator. Plans approved by the city show four fueling islands.

Wagner said the city of De Soto approved a tax increment financing district for the project, which will be used to help pay for public infrastructure at the site. De Soto has been without a grocery store for about four years, and Wagner said getting a grocer to the community has been a major goal. Wagner — who, if you remember, used to be an assistant city manager in Lawrence — said the location right along K-10 is designed to also make it easier for commuters to use the location too.

“We sure hope to be able to capitalize on a lot of the commuters who drive by the location,” she said.

The regional grocery industry also is likely to take notice of the deal. The deal represents an expansion into new territory for Harps. The chain currently operates in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, but the company notes on its website that it has “aggressive growth plans.” It looks like the farthest north the company is currently located is Joplin. It seems unlikely that this will be the only Harps store planned for the Kansas City area, but I’ve heard no real talk of the company looking at Lawrence. It may be more likely that the company is looking at the Kansas City metro market. But, I’ve got a call into an executive with the company to find out more.

In a voicemail from one of the company executives, he said he hopes construction work will begin this spring and the store could open in the fall of 2016. He estimated the company — which is a privately-held, employee-owned company — would have about 60 employees, with about half of them being full-time positions.

In other news and notes from around town:

• As we previously have reported, there is a full-scale effort underway to correct the obvious deficiency in fried chicken options in Lawrence. Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and Raising Cane’s all have either opened or will open new locations on south Iowa Street. Wing Stop is opening in the Louisiana Purchase shopping center on 23rd Street. And we previously have reported that a chicken chain has filed plans for a drive-thru restaurant at the Bauer Farm development near Sixth and Wakarusa. But a name hasn’t yet been released for that project.

All the great chicken minds in town, though, have been speculating that it is a Church’s Chicken. Folks in the commercial real estate industry have indicated that Church’s has been interested in the Lawrence market at various times. But a person familiar with the development has told me it is not a Church’s that will be going into the location. No word yet on what it is though. The development group is being quiet thus far. But I’ll keep an ear open.

In the meantime, all us great chicken minds will have to get back together again and create new speculation. I say we meet at the pharmacy. We can have a good discussion while workers pack our boxes of cholesterol medicine.

Town Talk column