Sep. 7--MANKATO -- The country's largest pharmacy chain is applying for city permits to build a store on Madison Avenue in Mankato.

CVS/ pharmacy wants to build a store along the south side of Madison near its intersection with Long Street. It's across the street from Tav on the Ave and First National Bank. It replaces a gas station, the site of a former Hardee's restaurant and a few office buildings.

It seems unlikely that it'll be built until next spring. It's not up for final City Council approval until October, which doesn't leave much time for fall construction.

Preliminary plans show the building to have 77 parking stalls. It needs 67 based on city rules.

It's the kind of project city planners love.

It redevelops an underused site that already has connections to city utilities without contributing to urban sprawl.

Community Development Director Paul Vogel said CVS has a deal with the gas station's owners to remove the underground tanks.

The project will be considered by Mankato's Site Plan Review Committee during its Tuesday meeting at 2 p.m. in the Intergovernmental Center.

According to its Web site, CVS/pharmacy is the nation's largest retail pharmacy chain with more than 6,900 stores. It is the No. 1 provider of prescriptions in the country as well and was ranked 24th on the Fortune 500 in 2008.

CVS both sells pharmaceuticals and manages prescriptions for health plans through Caremark Pharmacy Services. That business had a net revenue of about $37 billion in 2006.

Meanwhile, a deadline for Walgreens to build a store on Riverfront Drive near the downtown has been pushed back until the end of September.

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