Hamiltonians who frequent the city’s downtown farmer’s market are getting the rare opportunity to express their thoughts on what the York Boulevard landmark should look like going forward.
As part of a review endorsed by council members in February, a business development consultant for the city is hoping users and potential users to spend 10 minutes in the coming month suggesting improvements via a “visioning exercise.”
According to Tyson McCann of 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton, “Council wanted staff to go out and talk to the community and see what they want the market to be.”
We really want to see what the farmer’s market should be and develop into for the following 185 years because it has been around for roughly 185 years.
The market dates back to 1837 and through time has changed from an open-air market to a permanent market hall where it operates today.
The investigation was ordered by city council members in February of last year after the market’s board of directors requested $242,000 in January to address chronic financial problems.
According to the board, the COVID pandemic’s impact on foot traffic and the loss of a six-figure annual sponsorship are the main causes of the organization’s current financial difficulties.
A vacant space that generally rents out for around $50,000 a year and has received minimal interest from potential businesses only serves to exacerbate the issue.
The evaluation began with a late-September open house where customers, vendors, and members of the general public provided comments. It has since switched to an online poll where the same questions are asked.
According to McCann, that will continue until November 4 before moving on to the following stage, a public workshop on market-oriented programming and design.
In order to ensure that staff and council move forward with the support of the community, McCann said, “we know that there have been significant changes over the previous number of years, if not decades, of the market.”
Participants can leave “virtual post-it notes” on ideas in the portal’s “ideas brainstorming” area, which also allows for the inclusion of photos.
Additionally, staff members have hired Project for Public Spaces, a New York-based collaborator with expertise in public marketplaces and large-scale space planning and design.
Early in October, McCann claimed that there was no immediate appetite among workers or peers to contemplate moving the market from its current site, but he did acknowledge that the option is still open if public opinion supports it.
“If we get feedback from the neighbourhood that there are better places, we’ll look at it.
The market’s location, however, is currently undisputed in relation to this job, McCann added.
The review will continue through early 2023 with the hope of reporting back to councillors before the end of the first quarter..
Public involvement on the future of Hamilton’s farmer’s market is sought through an online “visioning exercise”
About Author
