KINGSTON — After a wait rivaling that of a pharmacy line, the Kingston Rite Aid is moving forward again. One step at a time.

This week, crews from Millennium Building of Edmonds were busy, moving dirt, laying gravel and preparing the State Route 104 and Miller Bay Road property for a gigantic slate of work ahead.

“The first phase is to grade (the property), grade it to improve water flow in the property, and get an access road put in,” said Kitsap County Department of Community Development Senior Planner Jeff Smith.

When the project will move out of the dirt and when it will be completed, have yet to be estimated because, more often than not, issues crop up that delay such work, he said. A county Site Development Activities Permit was issued Feb. 13 allowing other businesses, which were waiting to apply for permits to build on the 13 acre property, to proceed with their proposals, Smith said.

Among them is Mike Brooks, owner of Mike’s Car Wash and Detail in Poulsbo.

Brooks, who has operated his Poulsbo Village business for about six years, said he is excited by the prospect of having another car wash in Kingston near the Rite Aid building.

“Rite Aid movement was the trigger,” Brooks said. “They were the driving force. They had to have certain things in prior to us getting permits.”

Creation of an access road through the property is included in Phase 1 of the plan. While the county is in charge of approving road-related permits for the Miller Bay Road portion of the project, the Washington State Department of Transportation will handle any connections between the development and SR 104, Smith said.

“We’re doing now just the one building,” said Kitsap County Development Engineering reviewer Doug Frick. “We’re doing initial site grading, and we’ve got restricted right of way until WSDOT approves the road.”

When the Rite Aid project was first suggested, public meetings were held to gauge public reaction. Now, Smith said the county will stay in contact with residents through the Kingston Citizens Advisory Council via monthly updates. The KCAC meets at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the Kingston Community Center.

“There are a bunch of different groups working on Rite Aid,” Frick said of the various architect and construction companies involved. “I know they were all planning to just go for it now that they have the SDAP.”