UPDATE | Brain Franklin of PMF Investments, the company that owns the Kelsey Creek Center, said the health club in the old Kmart facility will be a branch of LA Fitness.

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It’s been at least a decade coming, but construction on the Kelsey Creek Center at last.

Developers, citizens and a member of the Bellevue City Council turned out to a ceremonial groundbreaking that began the construction process. Brian Franklin of PMF Investments said the center is still on track for its targeted opening of this holiday season.

“I think the community has been ready for a long time to get this project done,” he said.

The Kelsey Creek redevelopment will focus on the renovation of the Kmart building, which has sent vacant since 2001. The building will be split between several tenants, with a health club penciled in. The rest of the building will likely be occupied by a grocery store.

Other tenants remain unknown.

The second largest building is 76,000 square feet and will be renovated with a pedestrian path nearby. Two other buildings, one of which will be a fast-food tenant, and another a two-tenant retail space will round out the center, according to the staff report.

Current businesses will remain in the center, and they will continue to be open during construction, Franklin said.

The project involves extensive improvements to 148th Avenue and Main Street that will impact traffic. It will also reduce nearby parking. But Franklin urged patience within the community. He said the project will be finished as quickly as possible, and it will be a something the community can be proud of, not the eyesore it currently represents.