Ballard residents, loosen your belts. Two new businesses are coming to Ballard Avenue this week. My Ballard reports that The Noble Fir will open on Wednesday and D’Ambrosio Gelato hopes to do the same on Friday. The first is a tavern featuring beer, wine, hard cider, and cheese-meat plates, the second a gelato shop.In other news, Pierce County, PCC Farmland Trust, and the State of Washington bought the development rights to 100 acres in the Orting area of Pierce Country on Friday, which allowed them to lower the price and make it affordable to local farmers. Under the agreement, the land must be used for organic property. The Orting Valley Farms project has resulted in three new organic farms thus far. Project partners are looking into preserving more farmland for organic use in the near future, as well.