Barbara Kelson purchased the property at the northwest corner of 148th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 145th Street in 1995. She wants to transform it into Apple Farm Village, a bunch of smaller retail buildings mixed with parking and heavy landscaping where shoppers park and shop by strolling between connected buildings that house one or more stores. Development costs, to be funded with bank loans, will run about $4.8 million.

Kelson is already renovating three existing buildings on the property for use as retail space. Work on the buidings could be complete by the spring of 2001. Kelson hopes to have the entire project completed a year from now. The completed project would include a total of nine buildings that range in size from 1,000 sf to 15,000 sf.

Total rentable sf would be 45,000 square feet and house about 45 specialty retailers, including a 12-room inn and a restaurant. To complete the project, Kelson still must receive approval from the city.