■ A planned Ashley furniture megastore in the southwest valley is closer to reality.

Plans for a new Ashley furniture megastore in the southwest Las Vegas Valley cleared a hurdle this week.

The Clark County Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans for a 273,222-square-foot Ashley Homestore showroom and distribution center. The project site, off Sunset Road just east of the 215 Beltway, is next to rival furniture dealer Ikea.

The Clark County Commission is slated to consider the project plans June 16, it was announced after the vote.

Ashley has other stores in Southern Nevada, though its newest location is in an area that has seen tremendous growth in the past years.

Moreover, Las Vegas furniture sales have shot higher during the pandemic as people have worked from home.

Kurt Haines, president of retail for Ashley’s Western U.S. operations, told the Review-journal on Friday that the company plans to break ground on the new store in the third quarter this year and open in the late third quarter of 2022.

He cited the project site’s “energy,” location and visibility, and noted a lot of homes are being built in the area. He also said furniture sales have climbed around the U.S. as people stayed in their homes over the past year, adding that coronavirus-relief funds have helped drive purchases.

In Clark County, furniture and home furnishings stores registered $79.1 million in taxable sales in February, up 28.5 percent from February of 2020, the month before the coronavirus outbreak upended daily life in Las Vegas and shut off much of the economy, according to Nevada Department of Taxation figures.

Wisconsin-based Ashley boasts more than 1,000 locations in 60 countries and says it is the largest manufacturer of home furnishings in the world. It acquired its new project site in Las Vegas in late December, buying just over 20 acres for roughly $27.4 million.