A working farm and produce store is in the works for the old Rochester Airport property on Marion Road.

Property owner Craig Canning, represented by Bill Madden of GAF Engineering, presented a preliminary draft of the business setup to Rochester's Planning Board on Tuesday May 23.

The property, which will be called Rochester Farms, consists of 60 acres, most of which would be agricultural fields, Madden explained. Four acres in the middle of the property would house buildings - a main retail area and a smaller washing and packaging facility in the back. Most of the area around the buildings would be turfed and landscaped, with potential for a sit-down area.

Rochester Farms' retail building, at about 7,500 square feet, is intended to store seasonal produce that is grown on the property. Canning noted that he also intended to sell produce grown by other farmers in the area at the store.

He also hopes to eventually have a small coffee-shop in the retail store, but said that idea was "far in the future."

The smaller packaging building behind the retail store will be used to clean and package food harvested from the agricultural fields, before it is moved into the main building.

Canning also indicated that the rest of the property (about 56 acres) is intended to be agricultural fields, excepting several acres of wetlands near the back. The fields will produce seasonal crops such as pumpkins, squash, lettuce and carrots.

"I've already walked the fields with Laurell [Farinon, Chair of Rochester's Conservation Commission]," Canning said. "We know exactly what's needed."

The idea met with general approval from the Planning Board. "I'm happy to see this rather than another solar field," said board member Gary Florindo.

Tuesday's meeting was intended to simply be an informal discussion, to help Madden and Canning decipher the next steps in the process of approval. The Planning Board agreed to shoot for a public hearing on July 11, if possible.