When it comes to business in the Town of Haymarket, there Town Center property has dominated the news for the last two years.

The $2.3 million project is set to physically change the complexion of a key part of Haymarket. The Town Council will eventually be forced to abandon Town Hall after the sale date. Buildings will then be constructed, relocated to or remodeled at the site location.

The final sale of the property, which will be renamed the Haymarket Oldetowne Centre, has been bogged down in delay after delay and, sure enough, it has been delayed one more time even after the Town Council voted last month 5-1 to approve of the final site plan and subsequent sale of the property.

Commercial developer Gerry Kennedy has since been bogged down in legal paperwork and he and the town missed the Feb. 28 settlement deadline which means the council must vote to offer another extension for the sale. That most likely would happen this Thursday, March 5, according to council member Ozzie Vazquez, who said he expects Kennedy and the town will be able to finally settle sometime in the next couple of weeks.

The regular town council meeting this week was pushed back due to snow on Monday.

Yet, while the Kennedy project is certainly the biggest and most ambitious business development plan within the town, there are other projects too that are designed to reshape Haymarket.

Starting at the intersection of U.S. 15 and Route 55 (Washington Street), the natural landscape at the northwest corner has already been plowed through to allow Home Depot to eventually set up shop along with several other businesses. The Haymarket government has little say in the matter as it is right outside the town's borders.

But Haymarket does ask that Prince William County allow it to comment on any development within a mile of town. To date, the Home Depot project has not been cleared yet by the county Planning Commission.

"Well, I'm not real thrilled about a big box store coming to the corner because of the traffic," said Vazquez.

But fellow council member Sue Shuryn, who is married to Vazquez, said though the planning for the property has not been to Haymarket's liking, she thinks "that if it's done properly, it's not going to have a huge look and impact to the feel of the town."

Traffic to the site would be coming largely from Interstate 66 and residents from in and around town, she said. Neighboring sections of the county already have home improvement stores and so it would not be a destination location for those residents. The part of Route 55 west of the property down Antioch Road is sparsely populated, so not much traffic would be expected to come from there.

What the town does have some control over is what is happening across the street at the Quarles property. The site owner has been planning for years to redevelop the property and the center piece will be a pharmacy with a potential drive-through lane.

Vazquez, the town council's Street Scape manager, explained that the Street Scape project, which is the $1 million-plus plan to make the town more pedestrian-friendly, actually stops right before the Quarles property.

However, proffers from the developers would cover the cost instead of developing a sidewalk that looks similar to what is being constructed through town.

"We want it to all tie together," said Vazquez.

Zoning in Haymarket is set up to allow gradual shifts from the industrial west side of town to a series of small businesses like restaurants and niche stores at the town’s center. Those eventually cede way to residential units on east side, where even the Police Department looks like a small house.

At the Town Center site, Kennedy is planning on bringing in a series of small boutique-like businesses as well as move four historic buildings from across the street on to the property. One of those is the Red Rooster building, which Vazquez cited as an ideal-looking structure for businesses around town as it is multi-story but not made out of bricks.

He explained the town's general opposition to large brick buildings as a matter of aesthetics and atmosphere.

"Because it feels like you're in a canyon instead of a small town. It's not an open and warm feeling," he said.

Across the street from the current town hall where there are some unoccupied buildings is still up in the air, but Vazquez would support Kennedy acquiring the property if an offer was made.

"Anything Kennedy would want to do in the town I would endorse," said Vazquez.

Shuryn and Vazquez stated that the more small businesses to move into the area, the better, as the town can turn into a destination location without the need for a big anchor store. Such is the model of a larger town like Middleburg. There would be convenience stores on the west side for essential goods while the center of town would have boutiques and restaurants similar to Old Town Manassas.

"It's just a nice thought to think about a bustling little town instead of a town that's half deserted," said Shuryn.