City Council Scraps Plan for Downtown Farmers Market

City officials have again shelved a plan to bring a farmers market to the closed off area of Washington Boulevard downtown.

Instead, the council has instructed city staff to pursue developing the half-acre site between Culver Boulevard and Main Street as a town square where such activities as outdoor art shows and festivals could be held.

Expressing concerns about increased traffic and whether the site should be overlaid with a gravel-like substance, the council voted 3-2 last week to reject the farmers market at the closed-off area. City officials will explore other locations for such a market.

The city first proposed a market on the site in February. Council members voted to pave over the closed-off Washington Boulevard area to make room for the market. On March 14, however, the council reconsidered the idea because of concerns about the loss of grass. A farmers market on grass, said community development director Mark Winogrond, would be too expensive because of maintenance costs. Rain would also leave the ground muddy, making a mess for vendors and customers.

The Community Development Agency then proposed covering the grass on the site with “decomposed gravel,” which is granite crushed to a gravel-like consistency. But council members last week balked.

“It’s like walking on Kitty Litter,” said Councilman Steven Gourley. “For God’s sake, don’t let them put that gravel there. Just make it attractive, a place where people want to come.”

The annual operating cost of a farmers market, Winogrond said, would be $14,000, which would be paid by the city’s redevelopment agency. The agency would derive $6,000 annually from the market.

In his report, Winogrond pointed to the success of Santa Monica’s farmers market, and said that holding a farmers market in the heart of Culver City would attract more people to the other downtown businesses.