With its future in
jeopardy, market supporters are talking about what they value: location,
community, fresh food, music and more
by Tesha M. Christensen
Will the Midtown Farmer’s Market be around next year?
Right now, no one can answer that question for sure.
Its future is in jeopardy as the Minneapolis School District
(MPS) decides what to do with the property it owns at Lake and Hiawatha, which
it leases for free to the farmer’s market.
Longtime Midtown Farmer’s Market vendor Denny Havlicek thinks
it would be a big mistake for the school district to sell the property and
relocate its Adult Basic Education (ABE) program. He supports the $83 billion
development plan the community helped create that placed adult basic education
as an anchor tenant.
While selling apples each Tuesday, Havlicek sees adult
students coming via train, bus and car. Because of how easy the site is to get
to for students, Havlicek thought the district would never consider relocating
its programs. And he thought the farmer’s market was safe.
“It’s good for them. It’s good for us. I think it’s a
win-win,” said Havlicek.
He doesn’t understand why the district doesn’t see things the
same way. “They are hurting their district, as well,” said Havlicek.
In May 2013, MPS rejected an $83 million multi-use
development plan that had been created with the help of the community. They are
now likely to sell the 6.5-acre property at auction to the highest bidder
instead, with little to no public input.
The school district had announced its intent to sell the land
in 2008, but planned to make its adult basic education be an anchor tenant. The
negotiations surrounding that aspect of the plan failed in 2013 as the cost of
35,000 to 40,000 square feet in that development was more than the district was
willing to pay. The decision came not long after a new administrative building
for the district, the $41.7 million Davis Center, opened and sparked taxpayer
ire.
The district bought the Brown Institute building in 1998
after the technical school moved to Mendota Heights. It was used for offices
and Anishinabe Academy, an Indian-focused pre-K-through-8th-grade school that
operated there from 2003 to 2009. When the district decided to sell the Lehmann
Building, farther west on Lake Street, adult education programs moved to the
Brown building.
AN
$83 MILLION COMMUNITY PLAN
When the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization (CNO) asked
residents what they wanted to see near the Midtown Station after lightrail was
operational, they heard about a mix of housing, retail/office,
structured/underground parking, and public open space, pointed out CNO
Executive Director Eric Gustafson. The market was a keystone element in the
Corcoran Midtown Revival Plan, which was adopted by the city council as part of
the Minneapolis Plan in 2002.
When the school district began a request for proposals (RFP)
process in 2010, the neighborhood organization began bringing key players
together, including community leaders and developers. Together with community
members, a plan began to take shape.
A team composed of 4-5 developers proposed building 80,000
square feet of office and retail space, plus as many as 575 units of housing
serving several differing rental markets, including seniors and low-income
people. L&H Station Group also planned to create space for farmers market
stalls.
After the proposal was made, negotiations between L&H and
the school district were done behind closed doors without community
involvement, observed Gustafson.
What happens at Lake and Hiawatha “has the potential to make
or ruin the neighborhood,” said Gustafson. “That’s not an exaggeration.”
He is concerned that 12,000 volunteers hours spent building
the farmer’s market will be wasted if it closes.
Recently Hennepin County has stepped forward and is
considering becoming an anchor tenant at Lake and Hiawatha in order to move the
project forward, an option supported by County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin.
65,000
CUSTOMERS
Since 2003, the Midtown Farmers Market (MFM) has connected
locally produced food and goods with 65,000 customers per season. The market
has 40-50 vendors each day, with a total of 100 throughout the season. Some
sell seasonal produce, other sell arts and crafts items.
The MFM currently operates on Saturday mornings from May to
June, and Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings from June through October.
It was the first Minnesota market to accept SNAP-EBT, or food
stamps, and consequently drew 632 new users in 2012.
The market and CNO are currently soliciting input from folks
about what the farmer’s market means to them and what they value about its
existing location.
‘BEATS
GOING TO THE SUPERMARKET’
“To uproot this market would be devastating to the
neighborhood, the market people and the vendors,” said Havlicek. “I really
think it’s the wrong thing to do.”
He believes that the existing location is ideal, pointing out
that traffic at the market increased when they moved to the front parking lot
from a back one.
Musician Sergio Mojica appreciates being able to ride his
bicycle to his gigs at the farmer’s market. He points out that the value of it
lies is in helping preserve the environment by offering local vegetables over
those transported in from California. Plus, they’re better for it and aren’t
grown with harmful pesticides.
“It beats going to the supermarket,” said Mojica. “You don’t
get to hang out with people, make friends or listen to music there.”
Midtown Farmer’s Market Manager Miguel Goebel gets most of
his food at the market during its season from May to October. “It’s about more
than just produce,” said Goebel. “It’s a gathering space.”
“It’s a priceless asset to the neighborhood,” said Havlicek.
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