Pepper’s restaurant on S. McDowell Boulevard received both good and less-good reviews before it closed a decade ago (“Good food most of the time” said one Yelper), although it’s clear that many locals felt a real affection for the place.

“I remember Pepper’s being my go to when I returned to Petaluma from OC in December 2000,” wrote a fan recently. “What a friendly, clean, comfortable place it was and the kitchen was always happy to cook our grilled cheese sandwiches in a separate pan off the meat grill.”

Love it or not, the old diner lost its lease at 335 S. McDowell Blvd. back in late 2013, and the 13,760-square-foot building has been vacant ever since.

With such a large and prominent structure going unused for so long, locals have wondered if anything will ever occupy that space again, and if so, what.

The answer, it turns out, is yes. But not another restaurant.

According to the city of Petaluma, a project is now underway to turn that “Washington Square shopping center structure that is nearest to the intersection of S. McDowell Blvd and Maria Drive” into a “Marin Health Petaluma Multi-Specialty Clinical Hub.”

This new clinical hub will be quite substantial, according to the city’s description, with “29 exam rooms serving a range of medical needs, a full-service cardiovascular testing center, and X-ray and ultrasound imaging facilities. Total staff are anticipated to be 40-45 at the maximum shift, with a smaller team of 10-12 staff on site after 6 p.m.”

That’s a far cry from pancakes and tuna melts, but it’s nice to know the old Pepper’s space will finally be put to good use.