Plans to build a childcare centre on the site of a former petrol station next to the Rivett shops has drawn support from local traders.
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The building, at the corner of Bangaley Crescent and Rivett Place, will have space for 91 children and 14 staff members if approved.
The development application is the first building proposal at the Rivett shops since a controversial mosque was planned for the area in late 2014.
The plan was withdrawn early last year due to community opposition, mainly about inadequate parking and concerns the mosque would be subject to graffiti and vandalised.
But the childcare centre would require far fewer parking spaces, with a traffic impact report attached to the development application proposing the allocation of 13 long-term parking spaces to staff members and 16 pick-up and set-down spots.
The report noted of the existing more than 60 parking spaces in and around the shopping centre, between 30 and 50 tended to be vacant during what would be the centre's peak pick-up and drop-off times.
It also suggested the centre "may be a catalyst for stimulation of business activity at the Rivett local centre".
"The possibility of over 400 additional vehicle trips each day would be expected to act as a stimulus for local businesses," the report read.
XS Hair owner Brigid Mulligan welcomed the plan, saying the site had been disused since she started the Rivett business about a decade ago.
"I'm happy to hear they're planning on building there," she said.
"There'll be a little bit more noise from the kids, but noise from the kids is alright."
The site, currently fenced off, used to be a Shell petrol station.
An environmental audit of the site in 2012 found no petroleum contamination remained on the surface of the block, but some might remain within the ground.
The audit said redevelopers could encounter those contaminants, requiring a short term environmental plan for the site during construction.
Overall, the project is estimated to cost $1,040,150.
The development of the Rivett shops has come under criticism from the ACT Liberals over crime and disrepair during the past 18 months.
Molonglo MLA Giulia Jones told the Legislative Assembly in February last year that "Rivett shops has issues including bird waste, needles and drug syringes, graffiti, an empty shopfront a vacant derelict petrol station site".
Public comment on the development application is open until January 18. The plans can be found on the government's website.
