NORWICH — The Norwich Farmers Market is considering purchasing land on Route 5 to establish a permanent location.

Currently, the nonprofit organization leases land on Route 5 from the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society where it hosts a weekly farmers market Saturdays from May through October. It is now working toward purchasing around 35 acres across the street, Norwich Farmers Market Manager Nica Mieloch-Blinn said.

“We’re still in the ‘can we purchase this land?’ phase of the discussion,” Mieloch-Blinn said.

Organization members have, however, started having conversations with the Norwich Planning Commission about how to use the land, which is currently zoned as rural residential. According to a listing from West Lebanon-based Lang McLaughry Commercial Real Estate, the sale price for the 34.7 acres on Route 5 South is $995,000.

In order to operate the Norwich Farmers Market there, however, changes would need to be made to Norwich’s zoning bylaws.

Town officials could propose changing the zoning bylaws to include a conditional use for farmers markets in the rural residential zone, or they could consider changing the zoning where the parcel is located, according to minutes from the Planning Commission’s Aug. 20 meeting.

Peggy Allen approached the Planning Commission to discuss the possibilities on behalf of the Norwich Farmers Market.

Jeff Goodrich, Planning Commission vice chairman, expressed reservations about discussing potential ideas for the property until after the Norwich Farmers Market submitted a formal request or presentation, according to a recording of the meeting.

Planning Commission Chairman Jaan Laaspere said that he wanted to get a feel from the group about the different options they have.

“To my mind, there would be a great deal of support in the town for making it happen,” Laaspere said during a recording of the meeting.

Goodrich mentioned that the town has also eyed the 35-acre site up for sale as a potential spot for affordable housing.

“I love the notion of a farmers market,” he said during the meeting. “I also love the notion of affordable housing.”

Planning Commission members ultimately decided to keep the Norwich Farmers Market in mind as they continue to discuss possible updates to Norwich’s zoning bylaws.

One of the reasons the Norwich Farmers Market wants to move is so it can create more parking for patrons and larger booths for vendors.

“I think anyone who comes on a Saturday knows it can be a daunting task,” Mieloch-Blinn said. “We just need more space.”

Long-term plans call for building a permanent structure where the market could continue to operate in the winter; currently the Norwich Farmers Market uses Tracy Hall in the colder months, but the parking and space there is not ideal, Allen said in a phone interview.

“I think it’s just giving it some permanence and a little bit of allowing the farmers market to control its own destiny,” she said.

Allen said the Norwich Farmers Market is intent on remaining on Route 5.

“If we cannot acquire the land across the street we will stay where we are,” she said. “If it came to be that we needed to stay there, we’d continue to stay there and thrive.”

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.