With no details on when, where, or really if – for sure – the idea has been raised that the Park Ridge farmers market could move from its current location starting this year.
At the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, town leadership heard from residents and others about potential locations for the farmer market, which is set to open in about three months on Memorial Day.
Historically, the market has run at the AT&T building on Prairie Avenue every Saturday over the course of its season.
However, in 2021 the phone company sold the land to real estate developer Reign Capital and since then, the city’s Farmers Market Commission has been eying other locations – even as Reign Capital has not objected to the market continuing to be held on its property.
City Manager Joseph Gilmore said the city had planned to stay there forever, as long as Reign Capital didn’t complain.
But this year, officials with Reign were less than enthusiastic.
“The initial response we got in January was not positive,” Gilmore said. “They were not interested in making any arrangements to letting us use it.”
And while the market’s opening day isn’t for months, Gilmore said he’s not expecting a yes anytime soon. The city is considering other locations but the pickings appear, so far, to be slim and limited.
One option that was mentioned was Hodges Park, the green space across from City Hall.
Park District Executive Director John Shea said that park is in use the Saturday of the “Taste of Park Ridge” event, and it’s popular for private rentals. Also, it doesn’t have irrigation, so it would get torn up in the dry summer months.
“We’re going to need that area for private rentals and for our own uses,” Shea said about Hodges Park.
Community Development Director Drew Awsumb added that the park is a small space – as far as use for the farmers market – and is not ideal for the market.
“The current farmers market, if it’s moved to Courtland [Avenue] and Butler [Place], the market not only shrinks, it prevents capacity for the market to grow. Some other locations allow the market not to shrink.”
The City Council seemed to agree.
“I kind of agree we need to look for another location,” said Alderperson Kelly Lawrence.
The council discussed a few options, but without input from the Farmers Market Committee, the discussion was speculative. Also, some locations proposed were private property and would require agreement with owners.
A woman in the audience suggested FM Global, at 300 S. Northwest Highway, as they have a parking lot. Gilmore said that could be a possibility and suggested someone from the city would ask the company owners.
But, Gilmore said, that location is not preferred by the Farmers Market Committee.
Gilmore suggested the council revisit the discussion at the next City Council meeting.
He said “at that point we can run through some of these other locations and discuss some of the pros and the cons we had. Some of them are non-starters from our standpoint because of public flow and safety vehicles and things like that.”
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
