Apr. 21—A Panda Express being built in Springfield is planned to open later this year.

The new Panda Express located on North Bechtle Avenue is set to open this summer, according to Panda Express' PR agency, but the exact date is unknown.

Construction has started on the restaurant, the building is up and crews are working on the interior, according to Brandon Gill, Springfield's chief building official.

The address of the property is listed as 1602 N. Bechtle Ave. It was sold in February 2022 to CFT NV Developments LLC for $900,000, according to the Clark County Auditor's website.

Crews in November last year demolished a building in front of the Kohl's department store in the Bechtle Crossing shopping center, where the former Portrait Innovations building was to build a stand-alone restaurant on the property.

The site plan for the project was approved by Springfield commission, and zoning was approved for the 0.39-acre plot along North Bechtle to allow for the construction of a new restaurant with a drive-through.

Panda Express is a family owned company that opened its first restaurant in 1983 and now has more than 2,000 locations. The casual, fast-food concept had been known for its locations in food courts inside shopping malls but now has stand-alone sites and is found inside universities, airports and other places.