A U.S. based consulting firm is suggesting the Hamilton Farmers’ Market will need to go through an evolution if it wants to remain viable.
Councillors were given that message Monday as New York’s Project for Public Space presented a public engagement study ascertaining whether the downtown entity is even still valuable.
“The answer overwhelmingly was ‘yes’ so it’s time to take this space seriously,” Ward 1 councillor Maureen Wilson told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
“Right now, from that consultation, they determined that the space is actually … not working.”
The “visioning exercise” suggested location, layout, parking and promotion are key challenges that need to be addressed to keep the interest of shoppers.
“There’s a strong interest in focussing on the experience in the market (and) the social aspect,” consultant Kurt Wheeler of Public Spaces told councillors.
Fixing the building or relocating the market was top of the list during the Public Space presentation revealing that more “inviting spaces” and a redesign of the facade are necessary to pique future public interest.
Consultant David O’Neil said despite the 186-year-old market’s rich history, most respondents gave “fairly colourful adjectives and descriptions” of the market’s current infrastructure.
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He said renovations in 2010 were “insufficient” with plumbing, access to electricity, square footage for vendors, and a single exhaust system being the most significant problems.
“The circulation is difficult … shopping there with the two levels,” O’Neil said. “The hours are awkward with vendors in disagreement with what the hours should be.”
The study also suggests a move towards stronger local agricultural traditions and emphasizing the “farmer” aspect through more pop-up stores as well as a cafe with locally prepared food.
A “final direction” between the city’s farmers market board and the Public Spaces team is expected in the next three months, according to city staff.
The market dates back to 1837 and has changed from an open-air market to a permanent market hall where it operates today at 35 York Blvd.
City councillors requisitioned a review of the market last February amid the board of directors asking for $242,000 in January 2022 to manage ongoing budget deficits.
Board members cited the loss of a six-figure annual sponsorship, declining foot traffic and little interest from vendors to occupy large spaces as major causes of the financial strife.
In October, city business consultant Tyson McMann said there was no initial desire by staff or peers to consider a move from the market’s current location, but admitted that is on the table if community feedback warrants it.
“If we hear from the community that there are better locations, then that’s something we would take a look at. But at this time, the location of the market is not in question in terms of this work,” McMann said.
Wilson told Global News that city staff are requesting some $200,000 to engage in “conceptual designs” incorporating recommendations from Monday’s presentation.
The hope is to reimagine “underused assets” like York Street, the downtown library and Jackson Square’s rooftop which surround the existing market.
“That’s what the first consultant said … there is no relationship because the market design as it evolved … reflected the times – Hamilton was a place you drove through, it wasn’t a place to congregate,” Wilson explained.
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