A Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant will open in a portion of the former Blockbuster store on Paradise Road, likely some time this spring, said town Building Inspector Alan Hezekiah. 

The restaurant received a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals and a building permit from the Swampscott Building Department.

The space at 1016 Paradise Road has been vacant for a long time.

Former tenant Blockbuster closed its doors Feb. 13, 2011, after having done business in Swampscott since at least 1998.

A crew from the Providence, RI company Amaral Revite was gutting the interior of the Blockbuster space on Thursday, installing a dividing wall and cutting out a floor section for plumbing, said crew member Brian Halstead.

He estimated they will be working there for the next six weeks.

The entire Blockbuster space is 4,700 square feet. Patch will follow up with Qdoba for more information including the size of their restaurant.

No tenant or tenants have applied to move into the remaining space in the building, the building inspector said.

Qdoba will be the second Mexican-style restaurant in Swampscott once it opens. 

Chipotle Mexican Grill opened a year ago at the Swampscott Mall.

The nearest Qdoba we located is in Peabody at 229 Andover St.