Latest news with #DowntownFarmersMarket
Calgary Herald
31-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Pop-up entertainment district bylaw brings vibrancy, giant patio concept Downtown
New pop-up entertainment districts are bringing vibrancy to Edmonton's Downtown, thanks to a new bylaw and some out-of-the-box thinking by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. Article content Article content Every Saturday between now and Thanksgiving weekend, for example, there will be at least one place and time where you can stroll with a beer and a dog in the city's core while browsing market bounty. Article content Article content It's the Edmonton Downtown Business Association's extension of the Downtown Farmers Market, courtesy of a special licence closing the road and turning that whole 'pedestrianized' multi-block section of 104 Street by Kelly's Pub into a giant patio Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in market season. Article content 'What we're really trying to achieve here is to continue to support our businesses and make Edmonton Downtown a vibrant place. It is really great to see that our businesses are able now to sell more of their products to all of the shoppers, not just the ones that want to enjoy their patio or inside the restaurant,' said Quinn Phillips, director of marketing and communications for the EDBA. Article content 'This gives the people the ability to grab a cocktail somewhere, and then come out onto the streets and drink it within the entertainment district,' Phillips said. Article content Article content 'I think that every business is really excited, because it does just drop into the area and increase vibrancy in the area. I think that everybody is very excited to see this happen and just continue to create different ways for people to enjoy Downtown.' Article content If a business wants to put on a street event, they can seek a road closure (with city approval), and then the entertainment district template can be implemented. Article content For example, the new bylaw means EDBA's Winterval festival can go from a beer garden with a sole vendor to a licensed massive patio where existing brick-and-mortar businesses can sell their drinks for people to enjoy as they meander the street in search of handmade beard balm (Crowsnest Pass fragrance, or perhaps eau de Old Strathcona), bear claws, crocheted crustaceans, or custom cat perches.
Axios
22-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Downtown Farmers Market may become a year-round fixture at revitalized Pioneer Park
Utah's largest farmers market could become a year-round staple at Pioneer Park. Driving the news: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Downtown Alliance signed an agreement Thursday to revitalize Pioneer Park with plans to build a permanent structure for the market and form a public-private partnership to manage the 10-acre park. Why it matters: Pioneer Park, which hosts the Downtown Farmers Market each summer, has suffered a poor reputation for decades, perceived as unsafe and affected by homelessness. What they're saying: In a statement, Downtown Alliance executive director Dee Brewer said he believes "we can change the chemistry of the park." "We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market," he said. "Pioneer Park is safe, active and communal on market days. We are ready to build on that success to vitalize the park and the neighborhood." "Pioneer Park is a cornerstone of our downtown heritage, and it has long been full of untapped potential," Mendenhall said in a statement. State of play: Under the memorandum of understanding, the alliance is proposing lawn games, cafe-style seating, a beverage bar and staffed bathrooms. The permanent building would also host community and private events and downtown ambassadors, who will have a daily presence at the park. That's on top of the projects already funded and included in the city's Pioneer Park Vision Plan. Construction is planned to begin this fall on amenities including a picnic pavilion, a mist fountain plaza, a contemporary playground, a basketball court, and six pickleball courts.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City wants to make popular farmers market year-round with latest Pioneer Park idea
The Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market has become one of the largest in the nation since it debuted in 1992. More than 250,000 shoppers attended last year's summer market, exploring produce and other items from over than 300 vendors who came from 16 Utah counties to sell their products at Pioneer Park, according to the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance, which oversees the weekly event. The city now wants it to become more than just a seasonal event at the park. Salt Lake City leaders unveiled plans for a new public market building to help the park become a 'year-round home' for the market and other events. The city has also tentatively reached a memorandum of understanding with the Downtown Alliance to potentially create a new public-private partnership to manage future park operations, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced Thursday. 'A future where Pioneer Park is utilized to its full potential is a future where Salt Lakers feel more connected to each other, to the outdoors and to our community,' she said in a statement. 'This partnership with the Downtown Alliance builds on decades of success with the Farmers Market and opens the door to that aspiration.' The announcement comes as the downtown park is due for a major overhaul. Salt Lake City plans to break ground on its Pioneer Park Vision Plan this fall, an $18.4 million project that seeks to drastically overhaul the park, which draws large crowds when the market is open but is often empty at other times. On average, fewer than 170 people visited the park every day last year, per the city. A new playground, plaza, pavilion and ranger station, new pickleball courts and a fenced off-leash dog area and natural habitat section are among planned features for the park through the separate project led by the city's public lands division. The city also shared renderings of a new art piece to be installed next year earlier this month. A year-round market could be another feature, but the building would also host a mix of public and private events when the market isn't open, according to the Downtown Alliance. It would replace its current winter market location at the Gateway. The downtown business nonprofit added that it would like to add elements like lawn games, cafe seating, a beverage bar and public bathrooms at the facility. The building's design and other elements are still subject to Salt Lake City Council approval. Construction is tentatively expected to begin as early as 2026. City officials say they will conduct feasibility assessments this year as the proposal goes through a public process. The downtown market not only brings crowds to the park, but also it's become a 'phenomenal economic tool,' resulting in $11 million in annual direct-to-consumer sales, Dee Brewer, executive director of the Downtown Alliance, reported to the City Council earlier this year. It could also help turn one of the city's lowest-rated parks around, he added on Thursday. 'Pioneer Park has endured a bad reputation for decades. We know we can change the chemistry of the park. We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market,' he said. This year's market returns to the park on June 7. It will continue on most Saturdays through Oct. 25.
