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HomeMy WebLinkAbout32 SR Farmers Market - 12.16.21STAFF REPORT CITY OF PALM DESERT ADMINSTRATIVE SERVCES MEETING DATE: December 16, 2021 PREPARED BY: Thomas Soule, Public Affairs Manager REQUEST: Request for Direction Regarding Weekend Farmers' Market Request Provide guidance to staff regarding a weekend Farmers' Market in Palm Desert. Specifically, staff is requesting guidance on the following questions: • Does Council want staff to find a vendor to provide a weekend Farmers' Market? • Is there a specific location Council would like that market to be located? • How involved does Council want staff to be in running a Farmers' Market? Strategic Plan Approval of the additional weekend Farmers' Market on San Pablo helps address the following priorities as specified in the 2013-2033 Strategic Plan, Envision Palm Desert — Forward Together: • Economic Development Priority 3: Create and attract entertainment and events to enhance and expand the Palm Desert economy and lifestyle. • Land Use, Housing & Open Space 4: Create a mixed -use city core integrating shopping, dining, lodging, and housing. • Transportation 1: Create walkable neighborhoods and areas within Palm Desert that would include residential; retail; services and employment centers; and parks, recreation, and open space to reduce the use of low occupancy vehicles. Background At its regular meeting on October 29, 2020, Council directed staff to research the possibility of adding a weekend Farmers' Market in Palm Desert, in addition to the Palm Desert Certified Farmers' Market already in operation on Wednesday mornings. Upon receiving Council's direction, staff initially contacted the Palm Springs Cultural Center (PSCC), which operates the existing Wednesday market. Because PSCC December 16, 2021 - Staff Report Request for Direction Regarding Weekend Farmers' Market Page 2 of 3 operates two other established weekend markets in the Coachella Valley, the organizers indicated over multiple conversations that they would be unable to add a new Palm Desert weekend market. Staff then approached CV Harvest Box, a newly established organization that delivers local and sustainable produce and food directly to consumers in the Coachella Valley. Restaurateur Tony Marchese (AC3, Trio) and date farm owner Mark Tadros created CV Harvest Box in the summer of 2020 to directly address the food -delivery challenges created by COVID-19. At its regular meeting on January 14, 2021, Council approved a sponsorship and road closures for a monthly weekend Farmers' Market run by CV Harvest Box. The approved market occurred on the last Sunday of the month for four months in the spring of 2021. At that same meeting, Council directed staff to include the costs for a potential weekly market in the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, in addition to the amount budgeted to support the weekday market run by PSCC. No agreement was established at that time regarding a fall/winter weekend market. With this direction from Council, staff included funding for an additional (weekend) market in the amount of $40,000 in the budget request for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, with the hope that CV Harvest would continue with the Sunday event on a weekly basis beginning in October and running through May. Unfortunately, CV Harvest found the market too expensive and cumbersome to run on top of their other business efforts and declined to renew it in the fall of 2021. Consequently, no specific market was brought back to Council in Fiscal Year 2021-2022 for approval other than the Wednesday market run by PSCC. Palm Desert staff members have been in discussion with various other market vendors to bring a Sunday farmers market to the Palm Desert, but thus far have not been able to get any firm answers. Discussion Several points of consideration have been raised by various stakeholders that should be considered regarding the concept of an additional weekend market, and specifically one held on San Pablo just north of Highway 111: • PSCC is strongly opposed to an additional weekend market in Palm Desert because they feel that it would siphon off their customers and make both markets weaker. • Some San Pablo business owners have expressed hesitation about closing the street to through traffic on a weekly basis. • Customers of both markets complained about a lack of easily accessible parking when the markets were located on San Pablo phase 1 December 16, 2021 - Staff Report Request for Direction Regarding Weekend Farmers' Market Page 3 of 3 Holding events on San Pablo just south of Magnesia Falls is an alternative option. An interdepartmental team has concluded that this stretch of San Pablo could be used in its current configuration as a regular location for events and markets, with some additional lighting requirements in the case of an evening event. This location solves many of the issues of the other San Pablo site but introduces the challenge of visibility from Fred Waring and/or Highway 111. Staff is currently exploring strategies for addressing this concern, because the location seems to be ideal in many other respects. Concerns about using this space for events include: • San Pablo is a well -used entrance to College of the Desert. Access to the campus at this point would be blocked or hindered during any event or market held on San Pablo. • Access to Civic Center Park, Family YMCA and Desert Recreation District are also affected by potential road closures at this site. Locating a market in the Civic Center Park parking lot has also been suggested, but this site has some challenges as well. It shares the problem of low visibility from Fred Waring and lacks access to electricity that some vendors require. With this information in mind, staff seeks Council direction regarding moving forward with any potential weekend Farmers' Market. Fiscal Analvsis There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. LEGAL DEPT. REVIEW REVIEW N/A Th&Ma*S0U& Robert W. Hargreaves Thomas Soule City Attorney Public Affairs Manager City Manager: L. Todd Hileman: L. *Council provided the following guidance to staff regarding a weekend Farmers' Market in Palm Desert: • Council does not want staff to seek a vendor to provide a weekend Farmers' Market • Council suggested the vendor should provide input on a specific location based on suitability for their particular market • Council does not wish for staff to be involved in the operation of a Farmers' Market FINANCIAL REVIEW N&AI Janet M. Moore Director of Finance Toold %I ItiL QiT APPROVED RECEIVED MEETING DATE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER .Andy Firestine Andy Firestine Assistant City Manager y,�rLlrr�W � OTHER AYES - NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY: Original on File with City ClWkIs Office