John Duncan, owner of Schmidt Lumber, said a dispute over the ground had slowed the process. Last spring, Duncan had said he had hoped the branch would open in September 2004.

“We’re definitely going to be there,” Duncan said Monday. “We’re just waiting on them to get their stuff settled. We’re still very much excited about that area and all the opportunity it affords us.”

Originally, Duncan said, Schmidt planned to build its own building. But now the business plans to lease, rather than construct, a building.

“We decided it was in our best interest to lease the building,” Duncan said. “We’re still going to be in there with a full-service lumberyard. It made more sense to us not to own the real estate at this point. … It probably makes sense to not tie your capital up as much.”

The business will be located on six acres in the northwest corner of the 72-acre Honey Creek Farms subdivision near 166th Street and U.S. Highway 24-40.

Honey Creek developers Dave Freeman, Curtis Oroke, Troy Letourneau and Roger Morningstar sold the six acres to an investor. Earlier this year, Freeman said the investor paid $1 million for the property.

Oroke said he’s confident that Schmidt Lumber, which also has a lumber yard in Lawrence, will be locating at the Honey Creek site.

“It’s pretty much a done deal,” Oroke said Monday, declining to comment further.