The Barlow in Sebastopol up for sale to Napa developer Todd Zapolski

For the second time in eight months, a high-profile Napa developer is under contract to buy The Barlow marketplace in Sebastopol, a $42 million artisanal food, wine and retail center that opened at the eastern gateway to town three years ago.

It’s still unclear whether Todd Zapolski, credited with helping to reshape downtown Napa, will take ownership of the project through his real estate firm.

The company failed to follow through on acquisition of the downtown property last fall and missed a Friday deadline to close the latest tentative deal. It secured a last-minute, weeklong extension on the purchase agreement, according to Barney Aldridge, developer and managing partner of The Barlow.

Aldridge transformed the ?12.5-acre commercial site - once home to an apple processing plant - a key west county destination and city revenue source. He signaled that he is a reluctant seller and said he would “continue to own it, manage it and love it” until a sales contract has been signed.

A spokesman for Zapolski Real Estate, acquisitions director Andrew Mazotti, said only that the firm was still evaluating the proposed purchase.

“We are hopeful and optimistic that we will purchase (it), but can’t say for sure yet,” Mazotti said via email Friday.

No purchase price was disclosed.

The Barlow, built on the Highway 12 site of a landmark apple cannery, revitalized an all-but-abandoned industrial zone into an upscale district featuring an eclectic array of more than 50 eateries, tasting rooms, boutiques and galleries.

Farmhouse-themed buildings, public lawns and fire pits have made the space popular for public gatherings, like occasional concerts and seasonal Thursday-night summer markets scheduled to start up this month.

Aldridge had a proposed boutique hotel in the works when he solicited help from outside investors two years ago and again last year. He had hoped, he said, to buy out his major partner, his former wife, when Zapolski bid on the entire property. Aldridge entertained the offer, he said, in deference to his ex-wife.

Rumors of a pending sale around the town of 7,000 have generated chatter and concern over what it might mean for the commercial complex.

Zapolski’s control of six square blocks around Napa’s First Street contributed to a rival of the city’s downtown.

Some fear he may be seeking a toehold in Sebastopol with plans to extend his influence further.

Mazotti said the firm has no such plans and would not seek to impose substantial changes on The Barlow or its tenants.

But skeptics have lobbed a pejorative into the mix, raising the specter of “Napafication” to characterize high-traffic, tourist-oriented commercial development that many in the west county area deem anathema to their lifestyle.

Sebastopol Mayor Sarah Glade Gurney said there already is a sense in town that The Barlow caters to outsiders and has failed to win over local consumers.

“I think the concern is the whole idea of the Napafication of Sebastopol and Sonoma County, where there’s so much emphasis on wine tasting, wine cuisine, wine tourism, and I don’t think that sits well with people here,” Gurney said. “We really seek to be unique and genuine and authentic as a community, and just being more of the big wine industry wouldn’t do it for us.”

In response, Mazotti said any purchase deal would seek to add to - and not dramatically alter - what already exists at The Barlow.

“They have a mission, and they have a focus, and behind the retailers is a great message and a great story,” he said. “I’ve personally never seen anything like that. It’s just such a unique, one-of-a-kind place, and we see the potential in trying to move forward and build on the potential that they’ve created.”

Editor’s Note: an earlier version of this story mispelled Zapolski.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.