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All
six candidates for the Democratic nomination of city council came out in
favor of the City Market at the February 16th Democratic forum.
City Market
"City Market offers fresh produce, herbs, plants, crafts, and baked
goods from local vendors every Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until 12 Noon. The
Saturday Market is located at the H & R Block parking lot on Water Street.
In addition, the Market will open on Wednesdays 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
at Central Place on the Downtown Mall. New vendors are welcome. Free parking
is available; get a yellow validation ticket from any vendor or the Market
Manager.
Persons interested in selling their homemade items
should call 970-3271 for information" (Charlottesville Rec and Leisure
web page, February 17, 2002). |
David Simmons stressed the importance of find a permanent location
for it which will be accessible to individuals both inside and outside of
Charlottesville. [The City Market is not currently mentioned as an attraction
on the front of Charlottesville's
Vistor's page.]
Joan Fenton proclaimed that "before we develop anything
else", we should find a location for the City Market. Recognizing
the importance of the City Market to downtown Charlottesville and noting
that fewer possibilities exist for its location "as land disappears,'
she added, "we don't want to lose it as an asset."
Waldo Jaquith supported a permanent location for the City Market
in downtown Charlottesville, while Blake Caravati noted that the
City Market is included in the urban design study of the downtown area.
Bern Ewert thought that the City Market should be located on the
East end of the Downtown Mall, along with retail incubator space, while
Alexandria Searls suggested that a possible location might be somewhere
between the Downtown Mall and the West Main Street area.
George,
I was one of the founders of the market in 1973. I believe we should
study the possibility of a permanent market at the east end of the mall.
Additionally, a smaller market could run during the week adjacent to the
new building proposed for the terminal.
Bern Ewert (electronic mail, February 17, 2002). |
While this topic hardly distinguishes differences among the candidates
up for nomination, it will nonetheless be interesting to see whether this
consensus bears fruit once the election process is complete.
George,
I attended the candidates'
forum on Sat, Feb 16, and proposed that the candidates be asked what
each of them would do to support a permanent location for City Market. I
hoped that the question would raise the
awareness of the candidates and the community to an achingly long-overdue-for-a-solution
problem, that of the temporary nature of the City Market's current location.
Blake Caravati's response I found dismissive ... that a permanent location
is part of the urban design for the city. He has been on council for long
enough to know that having a design on the books is not the same as having
achieved a structure. Yet, his response is also telling in that the City
Council has not taken a pro-active role to solve this long standing problem.
The current site of the market is for sale. There is no provision to
hold the feet of whoever purchases the site to the fire and insist that
the sale depends upon their willingness to include the City Market on site
plans. No other location is actively being discussed by the City as the
Market's permanent home.
How long will this problem hang in the air before someone(s) in a position
to really do something about it makes that commitment? The market has many,
many supporters in the community, and is a highly visible tourist destination,
as well as being a tremendous economic asset to the downtown at a time of
day when it would ordinarily not been teeming with life.
I believe that this issue can be a defining one between candidates, and
I wish that it would elicit your serious attention.
Darcy Phillips (electronic mail, February 19, 2002) |
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