Is a grocery store finally coming to Olympia’s Briggs Village?

For years, a grocery store has been talked about and considered for Briggs Village, a master planned community that can be found in Olympia in the area of Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway.

It is home to a YMCA, single-family development, multifamily development, senior housing and a growing commercial sector, including a dental practice and an ice cream business. And now a new grocery store building has been proposed for the site, according to city of Olympia information.

The city notified residents this week that it has received the following: A land-use proposal to develop three buildings, including a ground-floor 12,000-square-foot store with 80 apartments at 4505 Maple Lane SE, which is west of Henderson Boulevard. The two other buildings are for apartments, said Leonard Bauer, the city’s Community Planning and Development Department director.

In addition, the developer seeks a master plan amendment to reduce the size of the grocery store from 32,000 square feet to the smaller size and to “revise associated design criteria to apply the commercial and residential standards to the site rather than those created for a stand-alone grocery store,” the city information reads.

The amendment would also shift the anticipated locations of some apartment buildings within the core, according to the city.

Vancouver, B.C.-based Developer Gordie Gill, who bought the property west of Henderson Boulevard in late 2015, acknowledged Wednesday that he has been trying to get a grocery store tenant for years, and although he still doesn’t have one, a lot more people are living in the immediate area — and more are coming — than previously did.

“We’re hoping that somebody will come after they see the whole community there,” he said, adding that he’s also prepared to be flexible with the 12,000 square feet of space. If not a grocery store, for example, then perhaps a produce vendor, selling fruits and vegetables, might have an interest in 5,000 square feet, Gill said.

“At the end of the day, we’re gong to look at who else wants to go there,” he said.

Residents who have an interest in the proposal can attend an online neighborhood meeting at 5:30 p.m. July 12, followed by a design review board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11.

The public comment period ends at 5 p.m. July 18. To comment, send them to lead planner Nicole Floyd at nfloyd@ci.olympia.wa.us.