Two years from now, Ala Moana Center expects to welcome Nordstrom's first full-line department store in Hawai'i along with a new parking garage and a dozen or so additional shops.

Hawai'i's largest mall has cleared the section of land along Kapi'olani Boulevard for Nordstrom, and said construction of the three-story store and related expansion will be ready to start after a ground-breaking ceremony Friday.

Expansion plans have been in the works since May 2004 when Nordstrom announced it signed a letter of intent to build the 200,000-square-foot store, ending a 15-year quest by the Seattle-based department store chain for a standard store in Hawai'i.

Nordstrom will occupy most of the block bordered by Kapi'olani, Kona, Ke'eaumoku and Kaheka streets. Accompanying the store will be an 800-stall parking garage and 25,000 square feet of retail space along Kapi'olani. Another 45,000 square feet of shops will connect the existing mall on the third level to Nordstrom.

Up to 15 new stores are expected to be part of the Nordstrom expansion, which is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2008.

It has been more than 15 years and a couple of tentative plans since Nordstrom began seeking a full-line store in Hawai'i. Previous efforts resulted in a 1996 plan to build the store at Ala Moana and a 2001 plan to build a store at Ward Centers. Nordstrom operates a Nordstrom Rack clearance outlet at Ward that will remain. A Nordstrom shoe store at Ward is slated to be closed once the full-line store opens.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.