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One of the six key projects outlined in is a conceptual plan to close a section of Loop Road, renovating it as the location of a regional public market through new building development near the Owasco River. The market is described as the centerpiece of the .

All of the projects identified in the DRI application are only concepts at this point. Nevertheless, officials have identified an ideal location for the riverside market on Loop Road between North and Genesee streets.

The market concept is a product of public input garnered through past meetings held over the last few months as part of the , said Christina Selvek, the city's director of capital projects and grants.

Selvek said the market is a means of reusing underutilized real estate along that section of Loop Road. Further, Selvek said the potential restructuring of the street with a year-round marketplace could provide an indoor home for the Auburn Farmers Market.

Auburn business Prison City Pub & Brewery supported the concept with an announcement last week. Owners stated that a new production facility would serve as  for the regional market.

"Completing the Nolan block, so to speak, would really complete downtown," Selvek said, referring to the adjacent block of Genesee Street.

A schematic included in the DRI application, generated through the Auburn Sparks program, shows the road section closed off and transformed with the market built near pathways bordering the Owasco River.

It has not yet been determined whether the market would move forward without the $10 million state grant, which Auburn is vying for against three other cities in the central New York region. Selvek said officials are waiting to see whether the city wins the award before deciding anything.

Creating a walkable commercial strip along this section of Loop Road was an idea discussed in the city's comprehensive plan from 2009 — a document that influenced Auburn's DRI application.

The project is still in a very early phase and has not gone through any formal design process to date, Selvek said. As such, the city has not reached out to affected property owners for a meeting about the project yet.

One business located along that stretch of Loop Road is The Good Shepherds Brewing Co.

"This proposal looks very interesting and seems like it would really benefit (the city of Auburn)," said Garrett Shepherd, owner of Good Shepherds, after reviewing the city's DRI application. "The tough part for me would be where we are and would end up in relationship to the proposed sites. I think if the city would be able to secure this funding and use it to hopefully benefit even small businesses like mine where I could hire additional employees, we would love it."