City Officials Urge Farmers’ Market

Two Moorpark council members are trying to resurrect an idea to bring a weekly farmers’ market to the city’s historic downtown.

Council members Pat Hunter and Bernardo Perez met Tuesday night as the city’s Economic Development Committee to discuss the idea as a way to invigorate High Street--the heart of old Moorpark.

It is the same idea that was abandoned two years ago by the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

“I think it failed because some merchants felt that it would be adverse to business,” Perez said. “I hope we can alleviate those concerns, because ultimately I think it would help the downtown businesses by bringing many more customers.”

The city hopes to work with downtown merchants to come up with a successful way of setting up the market. Perez and Hunter want to bring the proposal to the full City Council next month, Perez said.

“Look at other cities that have done this and I think you’ll find a healthy synergy between the market and the established merchants,” he said. “It just creates a greater mass appeal to head downtown.”