By Tes Welborn, HANC Board
What is a Farmers Market worth? The Heart of the City Farmers Market has abruptly been relocated to a smaller site without any public process. In its place, Rec and Park plans a skateboard park, ping pong, and various card table games. All of this appears to be so San Francisco looks good for the APEC event in November, Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Meeting. Biden and other Asian Pacific heads of state will attend.
The Tenderloin community, now part of District 5, has no other “supermarket” than this Farmers Market. Residents and neighbors rallied, many of them seniors, Wednesday August 30 to oppose the move and smaller site. The Market is also patronized by shoppers from other parts of the city and by tourists.
The head of the Market was essentially forced to accept the move, being on a two month lease. They accepted it as a six month pilot, with a number of demands. Their minimum demands include: water and lighting [they set up at 4:30am], tie downs for canopies, and funds for stronger canopies [windy area] and carts to move produce from their trucks to the site. We have heard that water has been provided. No longer will Farmers park their trucks behind their booths. [see diagram]
Then the story changes, and Phil Ginsburg said the pilot venue change would be for two years!
At the rally, a founder of the market spoke, along with residents, shoppers, and Board President Aaron Peskin and Supervisor Dean Preston. President Peskin said, it is a success as it is, why tamper with it?
The supervisors plan to introduce a resolution on Tuesday, September 5 (between the time this was written and the mailing date for the Voice, but there will likely be future hearings). The Board of Supervisors has some say over the site. Let Supervisor Preston know what you think, and be ready to support the return to United Nations Plaza of the Heart of the City Farmers Market!