Four sites considered for farmers market

At a community meeting last night, a small group of Wallingfordians heard from the steering committee that was formed to find a new site for the Wallingford Farmers Market. The market, you’ll recall, can no longer use the Wallingford Center parking lot, and other options that were considered last year were met with opposition from some neighborhood businesses.

Karen Selander from Seattle’s Office of Economic Development led the discussion about four sites that have been selected for further consideration. First, she outlined the criteria the sites would ideally meet (from the farmers market web site):

1. Size of the site must be large enough to accommodate a minimum of 40 10×10 canopies, and ideally will allow enough space for approximately 8-10 vendors to expand during their high production months.  The size must also provide space for aisles that meet all safety requirements and the loading/unloading needs for market operations.
2. Access to a commercially permitted, plumbed water facility that will meet health department requirements.
3. Cost of the site must be affordable so the market can support all costs of the market throughout the season.
4. A location that offers favorable visibility and/or recognition by the general community so as to provide mitigation for significant disruptions caused by the market relocation.
5. Parking availability for as many as 15 large vendor vehicles.  This parking should be reasonably convenient for vendors, yet far enough away from the market site so as not to interfere with nearby residential needs or with market visitor access.
6. Preferences are for a paved surface, accessibility to bus stops, and a location near businesses.

Each of the four sites has its own pros and cons, and plans for all of them remain in the exploratory stage. The steering committee will contact affected local businesses, residents and agencies for all the sites.

Click the image above to enlarge map. Click here to go to an interactive map.

These are the four options presented last night, with their benefits and drawbacks:

North Side of Lincoln High School Parking Lot (Green on Map)

Pros: When it was first proposed, this looked like the most promising location because it had ample room for expansion and was very close to N. 45th St.

Cons: Judy Kirkhuff, market master for the Seattle Farmers Market Association, said that the students from McDonald Elementary and Queen Anne Elementary schools, which are now housed at Lincoln High, use this space to run in the afternoons. She’ll continue to look into its viability and contact the school district.

N. 46th Street between Wallingford and Densmore (Blue on Map)

Pros: Wide enough street to accommodate two rows of vendors back to back on the south side of the street and allow for an emergency vehicle lane. Proximity to QFC could create benefits for the grocer and the farmers market. Jon Hegeman, director of the Seattle Farmers Market Association, pointed out that the Madrona Farmers Market has a very successful arrangement with Grocery Outlet for a weekly market.

Cons: Selander said the steering committee met with QFC management last week, who “didn’t say no.” They did, however, say that Wednesday was always a busy day because it begins the weekly sale cycle, so they requested that the market date be changed to Tuesday. The steering committee was averse to changing the date, said Selander, but they remain open to the option.

Southwest Corner of Meridian Park (Red on Map)

Pros: Selander and Kirkhuff were quite positive about this spot, where Seattle Tilth sometimes holds events. Kathleen Cromp (executive director of the Senior Center at Good Shepherd Center) said she’d talked with other Good Shepherd Center tenants and management, who were generally supportive of the market’s use of the space, and understand that the Parks Department will make the decision. Selander said that the steering committee would need to explore conflicting uses.

Cons: Many people at the meeting commented that visibility would be very poor at this location; market shoppers would need to be well informed, and signage would need to be strategically placed on N. 50th and N. 45th. The turf could also take a beating, but Selander said the ground is high, flat and hard packed.

Tully’s Parking Lot on Meridian Just North of N. 45th St. (Yellow on Map)

Colleen Kurke, the new Wallingford Chamber of Commerce president, is looking into this option. It’s the smallest of the four possible sites but has the best visibility in the business core.

Pros: Good visibility, close to business core, had the most support of meeting attendees

Cons: Small site that wouldn’t allow for much growth, would affect parking for Tully’s, Moon Temple and Radiant Med Spa one evening a week. Kurke and Kirkhuff are talking with business and property owners.

One issue that kept coming up was whether the market could be moved to Saturday. There’s a lot of community support for a Saturday market and Hegeman has long championed the idea. Kirkhuff points out, however, that the market would face intense competition from other markets (including nearby University District) for customers and farmers. Market manager Jessica Vets also favors keeping a midweek market because it’s the only one on the North End.

Selander promised to keep the community informed and involved. She said that the committee will schedule another meeting by the end of March. “If we get good news,” she said, “we can call people together sooner.” She invited residents to get in touch with her with questions, suggestions or concerns at karen.selander@seattle.gov. Of course, you’re welcome to leave comments here or on our Facebook page.