A new retail center would replace a vacant lot at the corner of 3rd and Fairfax if the city approves plans proposed by the A.F. Gilmore Company. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A hearing for a project proposed at the northwest corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue by the A.F. Gilmore Company, the owners of the Original Farmers Market, was held on July 28 as part of the planning process. The hearing was held by a zoning administrator from the city’s planning department, who is expected to make a decision on the project within four weeks.

The A.F. Gilmore Company is seeking to build a retail center at the site of an existing surface parking lot at the corner. The project would consist of approximately 24,000 square feet of a retail space, including one large building and four smaller spaces, one of which would likely be a restaurant or pub. The project would also include a surface parking lot on 3rd Street with approximately 113 parking spaces.

The development would not be an expansion of the Original Farmers Market. It will replace a lot that was used as a pumpkin patch during Halloween and a Christmas tree lot, as well as Mordigan Nurseries, which will close on August 15. An approval by the zoning administrator would allow the project to proceed. Mark Panatier, vice president of the A.F. Gilmore Company, said the company is eager to move forward with the project, and that he does not anticipate any appeals to the planning department’s decision.