The former Piggly Wiggly grocery store won’t be vacant for long.

Marvin’s Building Materials is planning to relocate there from its current location on Main Avenue Southwest across from Heritage Park. There’s no official timeframe of when Marvin’s will open on Alabama 157, but city officials said it’s in the midst of preparing building plans.

“I think it’s going to be a better location for them,” said Mayor Woody Jacobs. “I know they were extremely happy to get the property.”

Piggly Wiggly closed its doors in late 2017, liquidating its inventory in a matter of weeks. In January, Jim Boyd presented preliminary site plans to the Cullman Planning Commission regarding Marvin’s relocation to the Piggly Wiggly property.

City building officials said it appears Marvin’s is planning out the outdoor parts of the site first — namely the lumber yard — and then picking up the interior renovations. The area — nearby the southwest corner of U.S. 31 and Alabama 157 — is undergoing a number of changes: the Cullman Fire Rescue is about to open a new station behind Merchants Bank and an apartment complex is also in the works along Alabama 157.

Marvin’s vacating its location frees up the space for the city to redevelop it.

In April 2017, the city bought the seven-acre tract Marvin’s sits on for $1.54 million from its owner Woodmar, Ltd., county property records show. The city has purchased a number of tracts around Heritage Park and the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center in recent years.

Jacobs said nothing is final yet, but one idea for the Marvin’s property is an indoor athletic facility.

“That’s someday down the road,” he said. “The city bought the (Marvin’s) property because it’s between two park facilities.”