Buying local fruits and vegetables in Marion may be easier come next spring.

Rochester Planning Board member Arnie Johnson is hoping to build a produce and ice cream stand on Route 6 where the Frigate Steakhouse currently stands.

Johnson already got approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals for the first step of the project and is hoping to get onto the Planning Board’s docket by the end of July.

“We’ll start with an informal meeting to present the concept and base plans,” said Johnson, followed by a formal hearing.

Although the Johnsons still need building permits, Johnson said, “I would like to get on the site and start building prior to winter. I’d like to be open next spring. That’s our rough timetable right now.”

“It’s kind of a wait and see thing at this point,” he said.

Johnson, who formerly worked at a wholesale produce company, said he and his wife Debbie are “going to try and tie in all our experiences of growing vegetables and marketing vegetables over the years.”

The couple have tentatively named the business Field Stone Farms for the stone walls at the rear of the property, which they plan to showcase.

Johnson said one of the main goals for the business is to promote New England agriculture, from vegetables to dairy items.

“Of course, it’s another opportunity to employ people from this area,” said Johnson. “Especially from Rochester where we don’t have a whole lot of commercial business. There aren’t a whole lot of places for kids to get summer jobs.”