Developer unveils stunning plan to transform Airline farmers market into a foodie paradise

HOUSTON, Texas -- An ambitious plan is taking shape that will convert a charmingly shabby produce market into a comprehensive destination for food-obsessed locals and visitors.

MLB Capital Partners, a local commercial real estate investment company, has announced its vision for the future of the Houston Farmers' Market that it purchased earlier this year. Better known as the Canino's Market after its primary tenant, Canino Produce Co, the almost 18-acre tract on Airline near 610 will be transformed into a facility that provides a "destination retail experience offering more diversified products, renovated facilities and community programming," according to a press release.

MLB founding partner Todd Mason tells CultureMap that he first developed an interest in the market back in 2004 or 2005 but became more serious about developing a vision and completing the transaction over the last year-and-a-half. The goal is to renovate the market in a way that preserves the quality Mason describes as its "edginess" while improving the property's comfort and usability by, for example, separating consumer and retail traffic so that patrons don't have to dodge trucks and forklifts while they're shopping.

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