Cost, time commitment knock out farmers market idea

City’s urban renewal commission tries to find cost effective urban renewal plan

By Mara Stine

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 13, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

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Hopes to create an ethnic farmers market in Rockwood this summer appear to be on hold, but urban renewal commissioners are still interested in building soccer fields in what’s now an expanse of gravel.

Commissioners hoped to breath some temporary life into the blighted Cultural Marketplace site – 6.5 acres owned by Gresham’s urban renewal commission between Southeast Stark Street, East Burnside Street and Southeast 185th and 188th avenues – until plans for a mixed-use development at the same location are revamped.

Recently, the commission opted against anchoring the development in the city’s urban renewal district with a YMCA. It now wants to hold a retreat to reshape its vision for redeveloping the old Fred Meyer site.

The commission will discuss interim uses for the property, and it’s vision for redeveloping the site at its Tuesday, June 16, meeting following the 3 p.m. City Council meeting.

The urban renewal agency demolished the store to build a multi-phased development – including for-sale residential, commercial, retail and public open space – to help improve Rockwood’s image while attracting other businesses to the area.

After 15 months of working on how to redevelop the property, the commission earlier this month ended its agreement with Williams & Dame Development and Capstone Partners LLC.

A few weeks ago, the commission batted around ideas on what to do with the property until the economy rebounds and the site can be redeveloped.

Farmer’s Market

Commissioners favored starting a seasonal farmers market for local residents of Hispanic and Eastern European origin in the old Fred Meyer parking lot, thinking it could become a regional draw.

But during the commission’s Tuesday, June 2, meeting, Mike Abbaté, Gresham’s urban design and planning director, said Portland may have beat Gresham to the punch. A similar farmers market is already in Southeast Portland’s Lents neighborhood and costs $30,000 a year to operate.

Another such market in Los Angeles costs $20,000 to operate and is run by two part-time employees.

“So you took our pipe dream and made it more complicated and more costly,” quipped Commissioner Carol Nielsen-Hood. “Is there nothing that we couldn’t do down there this summer at all that wouldn’t cost a fortune in your mind?”

Abbaté’s response was a frank no: Such projects have either a big price tag or a lengthy timeline. Sometimes both.