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NATCHEZ — Hobby Lobby could begin construction on a new 50,000-square-foot store in Natchez in the Tracetown Shopping Center as soon as next week.

The Natchez Planning Commission approved a request from Natchez Hardware Center, which is owned by Jimmy Smith, to subdivide a portion of the Tracetown Shopping Center property, 55 Seargent S. Prentiss Drive, to make way for the arts and crafts and home decor store.

Hayden Kaiser of engineering firm Jordan Kaiser Sessions represented Natchez Hardware Center at the commission’s monthly meeting on Thursday evening.

After the subdivision plans were approved, Kaiser questioned interim City Planning Director Rico Giani about site plan approval, saying the company would like to start construction soon, perhaps next week. Giani said what remains is administrative and that he saw nothing that would interfere with those construction plans.

The new Hobby Lobby will be located on a 3.58-acre parcel behind the Regions Bank building. It will face Red Top Seafood. Plans call for demolishing the portion of the shopping center next to Hobby Lobby down to the existing U.S. Postal Service branch office. Demolition of the portion of the existing shopping center building in the back that faces toward Seargent Prentiss Drive is planned, according to one set of site plans.

Smith was not immediately available for comment Thursday night.