Site work on a 176-acre commercial development in Altoona is nearing completion after being delayed last fall due to a discovery made during an archeological dig.

“They found a nickel and a pop can,” said Mike Whalen, president and CEO of Heart of America Restaurant & Inns, which is working to get construction on a proposed 1.5-million-square-foot retail center under way. The developer had hoped to finish excavating the site in November, but detection of wetlands delayed the process for several months.

Though it wasn’t a “total shutdown,” said Damen Trebilcock, Heart of America’s vice president of development – as it only affected a portion of the site – the grading didn’t fully begin until a permit was issued by the Army Corps of Engineers around Jan. 1.

Chad Quick, a city planner, said heavy flooding in 2008 didn’t help, but Altoona ended up purchasing several acres of land about a mile south of the site to establish an alternative wetlands area, effectively mitigating the issue.

Whalen began acquiring land for the mall about 12 years ago and is upbeat about his vision for property at the intersection of Interstate 80 and the U.S. Highway 65 bypass, the site of a 145,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops expected to open in August.

“We had that long-term view when we bought it and continue to have a long-term view,” he said.

Whalen said with projects across the country being abandoned due to the economic climate, leasing retail space can be difficult because of skepticism by prospective tenants who are unsure if plans will move ahead.

About a dozen potential lessees have toured the site in the last six months, Whalen said, adding that three fashion retailers have signed letters of intent. But co-tenancies still need to be satisfied, he added, and no leases have been finalized.

“I wish things were going hot right now,” Whalen said, “but I think we are having some surprising positive responses.”

One surprise is a national tenant who is considering about 8,700 square feet of a proposed two-story 35,000-square-foot office building on the site’s southwest corner.

“I have to admit it wasn’t expected to happen right out of the gate,” Whalen said, referring to the interest in office space before any retail tenants have been signed. He said a Dallas-based broker representing the interested party likes the visibility of the property, which faces Interstate 80 to the north.

“What we’re finding is that there is some demand for highly visible Class A office space for the east side,” Whalen said.

He declined to name the company until the deal is finalized. The developer’s goal is to lease at least 50 percent of the building before breaking ground.

Plans are “evolving,” Whalen said, adding that the majority of the infrastructure has been installed and that all dirt work, a 7.5-acre lake and the construction of Bass Pro Drive, which will run through the heart of the development, are slated for completion this summer.

“It is ambitious, but we are going to get it done,” Whalen said. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Phase one of the project, including 400,000 square feet of retail space, is expected to be completed in late 2010 or early 2011.

A contractor has yet to be selected, he said.

“As the economy turns and retailers start to look for sites again, we are going to be one of the few sitting there and ready to go.”