NORTH SALT LAKE — Though it’s not going on anyplace people can see it, work continues to move ahead to turn the old gravel pit into the proposed Eaglewood Village. Preliminary engineering plans for the site have been submitted to the city, and engineers have sent back a list of concerns that the developer’s engineer will need to remedy before more finalized plans can be drawn up.

If all goes well, Compass Development Group hopes to be ready to break ground on the site by this fall.

“People don’t understand that these things take time,” said North Salt Lake City Engineer Paul Ottoson. “They don’t just happen in a week.”

Compass Development has been working on plans to convert the city’s old gravel pit into Eaglewood Village, a mixed-use development set to include restaurants, stores, offices and 570 living units, since a conceptual site plan was approved by the city in the summer of 2006. Though preliminary site plans were ap-proved earlier this summer, city officials still have several questions about the project, including road access and drainage issues.

The preliminary engineering plans look at several of the latter issues, including the basic infrastructure proposed for the water systems and detention basins. Though a small staff and a large workload have caused city officials to use a consultant, Gilson Engineering, to review the plans, they continue to monitor all progress.

Even when plans are complete and groundbreaking occurs, however, more behind-the-scenes work will continue for Compass.

One concern city officials had about building on the former gravel pit was the instability of the shifting, settling ground, which Compass Development promised to address through earthwork and constant monitoring.

“We’re feeling pretty good about the geotech,” said Ben Lowe, principal for Compass Development. “We need to get the area drained and dried out first, which means a lot of dirt getting moved around. Then it will be constant testing as construction progresses, checking to see that the ground will do what we think it’s going to do.”

Ottoson said that there are still several potential issues that need to be dealt with in relation to the project.

“We have concerns about several things, including traffic, culinary water, and storm drain retention,” said Ottoson. “This is going to change the whole face of the south end of our town.”