Business & Tech
Albany Farmers Market Could Open May 4
Albany's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request Wednesday for a permit to close a block of Solano weekly during the market.
A unanimous vote by Albany planning commissioners has set the wheels in motion to bring the to Solano Avenue on May 4.
The market, organized by the Ecology Center, is set to run Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. It initially would operate from May through October, but eventually could run year-round if it's successful.
Planning and Zoning commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a permit to allow organizers to close the block of Solano between Adams Street and San Pablo Avenue weekly during the market.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
The Albany City Council will review the street closure request on March 22, according to the staff report on the market (attached as PDF to the right).
The city's , adopted by the council last April, calls for the "establishment of an Albany Farmer's Market to strengthen the regional food system and serve as a community resource," according to the staff report. "The overarching goal is to develop a market that attracts shoppers to the commercial sector of Solano and San Pablo, and serves as a festive opportunity for the community to obtain quality local, predominately organic foods and goods."
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
The market could have one to two musical guests each week, said Ben Feldman of the Ecology Center, the organizer and an Albany resident. It could also have a community organization table for local groups to do outreach; stalls for local restaurants to offer prepared food; and mostly organic, local food.
He said the center has rigorous verification and regulation efforts in place to make sure the food being sold is appropriate and meets high standards.
"Every new farm that joins our market, we do an inspection" among a range of other efforts to watch for problems and uncertified goods, he said. "We have zero tolerance for that ... If there's a question of a vendor's integrity, we're not going to be considering them."
The market would be a zero-waste event, as are others organized by the Ecology Center, which runs . There would also be support programs for, among others, seniors and mothers who receive low-income assistance.
There has been about the selection of the farmers market location, but organizers have said there weren't many options with the right mix of elements. The market needs to be on concrete, according to state regulations, and available for use for free. (Feldman said the market likely would run at a loss for at least a year.)
"There's a very thin margin. We're going into this without any assurance it will be successful," he told commissioners, after saying the Ecology Center hopes to receive exemption from city permit fees.
The city likely won't make money on the market and would have to pay for extra police support, closing the streets, and setting up, closing down and cleaning up, said Commissioner Phillip Moss.
"But I think the benefit outweighs the impact," he said in the Feb. 23 meeting.
Feldman said that according to Ecology Center calculations, the market could bring up to $6,000 to local businesses each week, as visitors spend money nearby.
The city is working with the Ecology Center to establish the market. According to staffer Nicole Almaguer, the businesses on the block to be closed to traffic have expressed support for the effort.
President Tim Adam of the nearby e-mailed the city in February to express concern, however.
Adam wrote on Feb. 16 that the market will "totally ruin our business on Wednesdays. Our customers will have to fight with farmers market customers and vendors for parking. Also, traffic will be rerouted and our customers will not be able to find us and even if they do they will run late for their appointments."
Officials suggested possibly setting aside several parking spots specifically for the sauna, but no decisions were made about that on Wednesday.
During public comment on the matter, Vice President Tod Abbot said the group was "very excited about the farmers market bringing some attention to part of the street that doesn't get a lot of attention."
Allen Cain, of the , said he was happy that his group's goal of keeping the market on Solano was successful, though he acknowledged the possibility for competition with local staples and .
Local businessman Paul Cruce said he hopes to be one of the non-produce vendors to get a spot at the market; he runs a coffee company offering locally roasted beans and coffee paraphernalia.
"In the condo buildings we live in, on Pierce Street, people say, 'We need a farmers market in Albany,' so I think this is a win," he told the commission.
Feldman said there would be about 20 vendors in the market, which would include 65 to 70 percent farmers, 5 to 10 percent hot food products, and room for a limited number of other services, such as knife sharpening or massage.
Commissioner David Arkin said he wasn't crazy about the idea of a massage booth at the market.
"We may specifically ask that it's not included," he said. "The last thing we need is more massage in our community."