It’s long been rumored that Harbor Freight was eying Great Falls and it appears to becoming a reality.

On Thursday, the company submitted applications for interior and exterior renovations of the former Herberger’s property.

Craig Raymond, city planning director, said Harbor Freight isn’t proposing much for the exterior renovation so the city won’t likely require parking lot improvements. A major exterior renovation or major change in use would have triggered those improvement requirements.

Based on the application, the project won’t require planning board or design review board either, Raymond said, so the store could be open early next year.

In July, Harbor Freight confirmed to The Electric that it was planning to open in February but hadn’t yet selected a site.

Last week, the company posted a retail store manager position in Great Falls in indeed.com.

The company also sent a message through the city’s online inquiry system indicating that it intended to open a store at 1200 10th Ave. S. in January and asked if that location was within the city limits.