Construction of a Taco Bell along East Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti Township is planned to start sometime in May.

The new restaurant at 1085 E. Michigan Ave. will be built at the site of the former Furniture Mart, which was recently demolished. Prior to the Furniture Mart, the building held the Thunderbird Lanes bowling alley.

The Ypsilanti Township Planning Commission approved site plans for the project in November and the project doesn’t need any further approval from the Board of Trustees.

“It’s one piece at a time,” Township Planning and Development Coordinator Joe Lawson said of the Township's efforts to revitalize the East Michigan Avenue corridor. “We’re plugging away at it and this is another example of everyone’s hard work at getting something accomplished.”

The 2,800-square-foot building will hold a 2,500-square-foot dining room and a 35-car parking lot.

Lawson said the owner, Brighton-based Sundance Inc., plans to include a low-impact drainage system and is working with the Washtenaw County Drain Commission to build a rain garden instead of a traditional drainage system.

Sundance also owns the Taco Bell at 210 Ecorse Road in the City of Ypsilanti and is planning to close that location before opening the new one.

Lawson said Sundance will still own the building on Ecorse Road and the company has indicated it's looking for new tenants. Sundance also owns multiple other franchises in southeast Michigan.

Sundance didn't give township officials a reason for the move and a representative from the company declined to comment.