Farmington's Getting a New Grocery Store on 8th Street

TLDR

• Farmington's Planning Commission unanimously approved a special permit for a grocery store called Farmington Food and Spice House at 705 8th Street on July 14, 2026.

• The same project got approved once before, in 2023, but it fell through over a loan issue.

• The store will focus on halal meat, fresh produce, spices, and a deli, serving Farmington's ethnic community and everyone else too.

• The owner has six things to finish before opening, including more parking, a repaved lot, and safety posts by the entrance.

At its July 14, 2026 meeting, the Farmington Planning Commission approved a special permit — officially called a conditional use permit, which is just the city's way of saying "we've checked this out and you're allowed to run this kind of business here" — for a new grocery store at 705 8th Street. The store, Farmington Food and Spice House, is the second attempt to bring this exact idea to life. Here's everything you need to know.

What's Moving Into the Old Gas Station

The building at 705 8th Street used to be an Oasis Market and Budget Mart gas station, sitting right at the corner of Larch Street and Highway 3. The underground gas tanks were pulled out back in 2013, and the roughly 5,000-square-foot building has sat empty ever since, along with a smaller building out back that used to be a car wash.

Owner Sultan Hawk wants to fill it with a full grocery store: meat, frozen fish, dairy, halal-slaughtered meat, fresh produce, dry and canned goods, spices, coffee, tea, ethnic beauty products, and a deli counter. He'll use the southern half of the building, with a deli in one corner and coolers lining the walls. "We are planning to have an effective grocery store for Farmington... mostly focusing on the Farmington population... a part of the ethnicity," Hawk told the commission. No new construction is planned — he's working with the building as it stands.

Why This Almost Didn't Happen (Again)

Here's the twist: Farmington already said yes to this exact plan once. Back in September 2023, the city approved a special permit for the same grocery store idea. But permits like this come with a deadline — if you don't open within a year, it expires. That's exactly what happened. Hawk ran into trouble getting an SBA loan finalized, and the clock ran out.

Commissioner Lemar walked through that history at the meeting, noting the financing hurdles are now cleared and Hawk won't need to start the clock over again. Hawk confirmed he now has the funding in place to do the renovation right, and even do it a little bigger than originally planned.

What the Owner Has to Do Before Opening

The commission didn't just wave this through — they attached six conditions Hawk has to meet:

1. Get all the required building permits.

2. Get a signed permit for any outdoor signage.

3. Add parking. The site currently has 23 spots, but the city requires 25. Hawk needs to squeeze in two more and submit a plan for how the lot will be striped.

4. Install bollards — sturdy metal or concrete posts — in front of the store entrance so a vehicle can't crash through the door. This idea actually goes back to the original 2023 approval, when a police officer serving on the commission first suggested it.

5. Submit a plan to screen the trash containers with a 6-foot privacy fence or masonry wall, hidden from view on three sides.

6. If Hawk adds any new outdoor lighting, he has to submit a lighting plan showing it won't spill too much glare onto neighboring homes — capped at a soft glow near the houses to the east and south.

Hawk also plans to repave the parking lot with fresh asphalt to make it last another five to seven years, plus add security cameras and no-loitering signage.

What Neighbors Are Saying

No residents showed up in person to speak at the hearing, but a written comment from resident Beth Benson was added to the record, raising concerns about safety and traffic.

Commissioner Rutherford pushed back gently on those worries, arguing that an empty building sitting vacant for years is actually more likely to attract trouble than a business that's staffed, lit, and watched by cameras. "The longer a building stays vacant, the more it becomes... an attractant to criminal behavior," he said, noting the store won't run 24 hours and the owner is taking safety seriously.

Commissioner Berg, who used to live in the neighborhood behind the store when it was still an Oasis station, backed that up. He said the store never generated much neighborhood traffic back then, and a turn-lane change at the intersection several years ago has already made the area safer and easier to navigate. Most shoppers, commissioners agreed, will come and go from Highway 3 rather than cutting through the neighborhood.

The tall fence separating the property from the homes to the east is getting repaired, and there's a walkway gap between that fence and the neighbors' own fencing that will stay as-is.

The Bottom Line

If you live near 8th Street and Highway 3, expect to see renovation work start soon, with an opening targeted for winter. Store hours are planned for roughly 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., maybe stretching to 9 p.m. in the summer — not a 24-hour operation. The Farmington City Council still needs to give final approval, which is scheduled for July 20, 2026. If that goes through as expected, this could be the year the old gas station finally gets a second life. For more on what's happening around town, check out our Farmington category page, and if you're looking for something to do this summer while you wait for the store to open, take a look at our roundup of South Metro 4th of July fireworks.

FAQ

What kind of grocery store is this exactly? It's called Farmington Food and Spice House. It'll carry meat, halal-slaughtered meat, frozen fish, dairy, fresh produce, spices, coffee, tea, ethnic beauty products, and run a deli counter.

Where exactly is it going? 705 8th Street, in the old Oasis Market/Budget Mart gas station building near Larch Street and Highway 3.

Didn't the city already approve this once? Yes, back in September 2023. It expired because the owner couldn't get his loan finalized in time. He's reapplied now that financing is sorted out.

What's the deal with the metal posts by the door? Those are called bollards. They're required so a vehicle can't accidentally (or intentionally) crash through the store's front entrance. It was originally suggested by a police officer who served on the commission back in 2023.

When will it actually open, and will it run all night? The owner is planning a winter opening after renovations, with hours roughly 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (maybe until 9 p.m. in summer). It won't be a 24-hour store.