First, a reminder about today’s Wallingford Farmer’s Market. We only get to enjoy this seasonal market through the end of September, so be sure to take full advantage. You know the drill by now, right? 3-7pm in the south lot behind Wallingford Center, and be sure to stop in at participating Wallingford Center stores for 10% market day discounts.
And now, a recap of last night’s Community Meeting about the Wallingford Farmer’s Market:
About 60-70 concerned citizens, business owners, and community representatives attended the meeting. Patti Dudley from the Dispute Resolution Center of King County moderated. Her task was to get everyone on the same page, and help the group plan for next year’s market. While Patti did a commendable job trying to keep the agenda in focus, it is my observation/opinion that attendees allowed very little of the discussion to be directed at future planning.
One hour and 20 minutes into the meeting, I’d only picked up a few pieces of new, pertinent information that hadn’t already been published on Wallyhood here, here or here.
They are:
- Amy Singer, building manager of the Wallingford Center, clarified that the Center is not forcing the market from their current space at the Center. The farmer’s market is welcome to continue using the current space, perhaps even next year. She said, “If the market can fix the parking issues, it can stay at Wallingford Center.”
- The problem with staying at Wallingford Center appears to be two-fold: the current space is too small for the market to be profitable, which it must be to continue operating; and Wallingford Center now has more businesses than in years past (yay!), so it cannot offer ADDITIONAL space beyond what has been utilized this year.
- As previously reported, some businesses on the west side of Wallingford Avenue oppose shutting down all or part of Wallingford Avenue across from their businesses due to concerns around parking, deliveries, and safety, including jaywalking (you know who you are!) on that block.
- The following locations were suggested as possible future sites:
- Lincoln High School
- McDonald School
- St Benedict School
- Good Shepherd Center
- Mosaic parking lot behind Dick’s Drive-In
- 46th between Stone Way and Interlake
- Gas Works Park
- north side of Wallingford Playfield
Steve Johnson, Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development, said the pros and cons of each site will be studied. An official accounting of the site requirements were not presented at last night’s meeting, but I expect they will be at the next community meeting — which should be scheduled in the next couple of months.
Jon deLeeuw, Vice President of the Wallingford Community Council, previously outlined some of the site requirements here in the Comments section of a Wallyhood post earlier this week. His main points are:
1) There needs to be room for 30-35 vendors to be viable, so smaller locations such as Archie McPhee’s parking lot are out.
2) There needs to be a 20 foot fire lane, so smaller residential streets are out.
3) To get approval from SDOT (Seattle Dept. of Transportation) for use of a street requires 75%+ of residents/businesses on the street to agree – so you may want it on your street, but do a majority of your neighbors? Thus, most of the larger residential side streets are out. (Live on a large residential street? Bring a petition with 75% of the residents agreeing to it to the meeting! Good Luck with that )
4) Most of the parks in the area present load in/out problems for vendors, who need easy access to their booth space. Not to mention that means dealing with the Park Dept. as well as SDOT. Gasworks is possible, but there is a strong desire to keep the market in/near the center of Wallingford.
5) Moving the market to a weekend to minimize impact to area businesses. A possibility; however, due to the proliferation of weekend markets, there is a real question about getting enough vendors to fill it, not to mention the competition with other markets. Many residents have commented they like a mid-week market because they shop other markets on the weekend (U-district, Ballard), and then use the mid-week market to fill in during the week.
6) Use the Lincoln High School parking lot – good suggestion, but it would most likely mean moving the market to a weekend (see #5) to a accommodate the school schedule. Not to mention then having to deal with Seattle Public Schools.
Til next time, friends…
OMG Jaywalking.
What about the parking lot behind the Solid Ground Center (formerly Fremont Community Center)? It is adjacent to Lincoln’s parking lot, but separated with a fence, and that space would have no impact on the school in terms of buses, parking, etc. Locating it there would of course affect the community center’s parking, but perhaps something could be worked out. (Something will have to be worked out wherever this market is located, so the issue of parking loss is a given issue to be addressed, not something that is a reason not to have the market).
Also, for what it is worth, almost all of Lincoln’s parking lot was completely dedicated to construction materials for renovating Hamilton Middle School for the past two years (only recently removed due to completion of the project). What’s the reason long-term construction staging is cool in the parking lot, while a once a week in the afternoon farmer’s market can’t be accommodated?
That sounds rhetorical, and it kind of is, but I am wondering if there are any actual school district or city rules that allow for one but not the other if anyone has the answer.
Having walked through the Lincoln High lot yesterday evening, it also seemed to me to be the perfect space for the market. It is big, easily accessed by the vendors, close to 45th and its pedestrian traffic, and fenced off from the main school campus. Plus, the farmer’s market starts and stops mostly when school is out and during summer.
Glad to hear it was discussed, and hoping the Good Shepard site moves forward, especially the SW lawn area. It’s a great site: The vendors would have access using the driveway from the south, it’s of suitable size for 30 or more booths, no existing businesses would be disturbed, and parking is available in the Good Shepard lot as well as on the street to the west. The GSC is the site of many successful ‘farmer’s markets’ going back many years. The Wednesday Market would be nothing like the Big Tilth Spring & Fall events. Those are region-wide events and, I agree, are too big for the neighborhood. We need to have the GSC a place for Wallingford Community events, such as a weekly Farmer’s Market. It’s time to make the GSC our own Community Center, such as Phinney Center has been for our neighbors for many years. The Farmer’s Market fits in well.
One poster objected to providing free sites to local farmers, as if this subsidy is somehow inappropriate. This is an interesting discussion that should take place in a separate forum. Perhaps offering park space for selling farm goods is a bit of a subsidy, but certainly nothing like the huge farm subsidies given by Uncle Sam to the huge farms with which small farms must compete. And certainly there is much public good in purchasing local farmer’s produce, such that we get a direct return for our taxpayer subsidy, unlike many taxpayer subsidies (think oil, gas, paid not to grow, etc.).
The public safety and jaywalking issues are completely ridiculous and were voiced by only a single business person who alluded to a random tragedy at a farmer’s market in Santa Monica seven years ago. The remaining businesses seem to have the same three issues when it comes to locating the Farmer’s Market on Wallingford Ave or at the Wallingford Center. They are:
1) Parking
2) Parking
3) PARKING!
That seems to be the only problem that needs to be “solved”.
Oops, closing my tag
I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the meeting. I understand that people need a venue to voice their opinions, but I feel there was too much of that and too little chance to talk about a positive agenda for keeping a famers market in Wallingford. We would have been far better off had we spent 15 minutes of where we are and why we are there and the rest of the meeting talking about the options (getting input from the city on the suggestions that were thrown out) and then hearing what citizens could help do to make one or two options for the market a reality.
It’s a bad sign when a bunch of people invest an hour an a half of their time and the conclusion of the meeting is that we need another meeting (b/c we didn’t get to the most important part of the agenda until the last 3 minutes – literally)!
The School District is a difficult and unreliable partner. The Solid Ground parking is District property as well under contract to Sold Ground. Lincoln will be used for elementary schools this year, but may have other uses with more parking required later (none come to mind as all the high schools in the north end have been remodeled).
Has there been any discussion about using North 46th? It is a wider street with less traffic. If the market was located along the south side of the street and the sidewalk closed on the south, a single lane could still provide access to residence driveways and fire safety on the north side of the street. Coordinate with QFC to see if part of the block behind their building can be used as well, as long as access to the loading dock is not blocked.
P.S. I was referring to North 46th between Densmore and Wallingford, north of the QFC parking lot.
@Greg — see Chris’ Point #3 above (75% of residents and businesses.)
Getting QFC’s approval would be, at most (if they’re counted as all the businesses on the south side of 46th), 50%.
What about the big parking lot on 35th near the Essential Bakery? Or even the parking lot on 34th next to the bakery itself? I suppose the E.B. wouldn’t welcome competition from bread vendors but there are arterials close by and plenty of residential density surrounding both locations. From a growth point of view, lower Wallingford could probably benefit from a bit more pedestrian-oriented retail.
The Essential Baking Parking lot would work, but it could not be permanent as Seattle Public Utilities now owns that land and is going to incorporate it into the transfer station remodel, the design for which is now in process. There are currently seven designs for this remodel which will be narrowed down to four at a stakeholders meeting on Sept. 14th. More information can be found at
http://www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Garbage_System/Plans/Solid_Waste_Facilities_Plan/SPU_001830.asp
You can also learn more by attending Wallingford Community Council meetings, first Wednesday of the month, Good Shepherd Center Room 201
Jon deLeeuw
co-owner Not A Number Cards & Gifts
Wallingford Community Council Vice-president