DICKINSON – Four anchor stores, Hobby Lobby, T.J. Maxx, Dollar Tree and a shoe store, have signed leases for Dickinson Hills Shopping Center development in Dickinson.

Hobby Lobby will be in a separate building but connected and T.J. Maxx, Dollar Tree and a shoe store will occupy a larger building, according to Joe Gaa, city administrator. Smaller stores could also be added.

The shopping center has been in the planning for about five years, Gaa said.

Construction hasn’t started yet and some roadwork needs to be done first.

Dickinson in Stark County in southwest North Dakota is one of the fastest growing cities in the state. The city has benefited from North Dakota’s oil and gas development in recent years. In 2000, the city had about 16,000 people. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of Dickinson at 22,739 in 2018.

The new shopping center will give people more places to shop and eat, something Gaa said people are asking for in the community.

He said plans are for the shopping center to open next year.