A new Les Schwab location is planned near Fresno's River Park area.

An investment group’s plan to convert a former nursery into a strip mall has changed to having a Les Schwab Tire Center built on the site.

The 1.5-acre parcel on East Nees Avenue used to be the site of H&E Nursery before JPD Properties, LLC bought it about two-and-a-half years ago.

The plan was to convert the site into a strip mall that might include a bar and a couple of restaurants, until representatives of Les Schwab approached the group with an interest in building a tire and auto repair shop there, said Dror Geron, a partner in JPD.

“We thought, ‘Does Fresno need more restaurants and more bars,’” particularly in an area surrounded by retail stores and restaurants, he recounted.

He said the group also considered that there were no other automotive and tire shops nearby when they decided to grant Les Schwab a 40-year lease on the property.

Geron said he expects construction on the new business to begin within 60 days, and the shop could open within the first quarter of 2019.

The new shop will be the fourth Les Schwab in Fresno.