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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.2 Farmer's Market ReportG~~~ Off' Dp~~ i9~ -'~~'-~.~~ STAFFR CITY CLERK ~~~~~~~ EPORT ~~~L,(~~~~ DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL File # ^©®~-~® DATE: December 15, 2009 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Joni Pattillo, City Manager SUBJE Report on the Feasibility of a Dublin Farmers' Market Prepared By: Linda Maurer,. Assistant to the City Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Dublin City Council established a Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Goal and Objective to "explore the feasibility of a farmers' market in Dublin." Staff has researched options and the cost associated with the establishment of a farmers' market and is seeking further direction from the City Council on this item. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction to Staff on the establishment of a Farmers' Market. ~ // ,~ ~ ,~Lz~~--_ v Submitted By Revie ed B Assistant to the City Manager Assistant C Hager Page 1 of 4 ITEM NO. •~~ r DESCRIPTION: The City Council established a Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Goal and Objective to "explore the feasibility of a farmers' market in Dublin." Staff has met twice with John Silveira, director of the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association (PCFMA), to discuss the creation of a Dublin Farmers' Market. The PCFMA is one of the largest certified farmers' market operators in the Bay Area. The PCFMA operates markets in Pleasanton, Livermore, and Danville. On November 20, 2009, Staff met with the ad-hoc Economic Development Committee (Mayor Sbranti and Councilmember Biddle) to discuss Staff's findings and to seek guidance and direction on whether to bring this item before the City Council for further discussion. The Committee advised Staff to seek the input of the entire City Council. Farmers' Market Potential The long-term success of a farmers' market depends upon the economic success of the producers that sell within the market. Where there is no hard and fast rule as to how many consumers are needed to support a certain. number of producers in a market, farmers' markets tend to draw only around three percent of the adult population. With 27,665 adults (per the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2005-2007) in the City of Dublin, that would mean a farmers' market crowd of around 825 persons weekly. This amount is less than a third of the draw of PCFMA's Saturday farmers' market in Pleasanton. If a farmers' market in Dublin is able to attract some residents of San Ramon and Pleasanton, the crowd count could approach 2,000 shoppers weekly. A market of that size would likely support 20 to 25 producers weekly. Because farmers' markets are supported in large part by sustained community participation, PCFMA suggests that the City of Dublin survey its community members to determine their level of interest in supporting a market, as well as preferred location, day and time for the market. This survey can be handled on the City's website. Without survey results in hand, the PCFMA would initially recommend that Dublin consider a seasonal weeknight event -Wednesday or Thursday. In making this initial recommendation, PCFMA is taking into consideration of the popular year-round Saturday morning markets in Pleasanton and Danville and Dublin's ability to draw from the finite pool of attendees. Identifying Possible Locations Staff conducted a tour of the City with the PCFMA to review location options. Staff's initial thoughts were to utilize its community assets such as schools and existing park locations; however, it became clear that there were some limiting factors for the areas under consideration. Staff explored the use of school sites, as suggested by Vice Mayor Hildenbrand. The PCFMA recommended against this option because schools are generally located in residential areas and lack needed visibility that generally make markets successful. The Historic Park, while providing a nice setting, had limited on-site parking and the off-site parking needs would likely conflict with business parking (U.S. Bank) during the week. Dublin Sports Grounds/Civic Center site, while centrally located and easily accessible by residents, is limited by sports and library programming during the week. Emerald Glen Park's parking field on the Central Parkway side is very limited in terms of its visibility and its ability to draw passerby traffic and may also have conflicts with general youth sports activities during the spring and summer months. Page 2 of 4 In addition to initially recommending a weeknight event, PCFMA would also recommend a site/location in the east to take advantage of the increased visibility, daytime workforce populations, as well as the significant amount of multi-family housing in that area. Staff has talked with the management of Hacienda Crossings to determine their interest in hosting a market. Hacienda Crossings has indicated that they would be happy and willing to serve as a weeknight venue for a farmers' market event. Hacienda Crossings could be an ideal location, given its built-in base of customers (approximately two million/year), its proximity to major employers, as well as the adjacent stores (Starbuck's, Cold Stone, and other food uses) that complement a market's activities. Generally speaking, Hacienda would propose to host the market in the southeastern parking lot between Black Angus and the small storefronts north of the movie theater. Potential Promotional Costs Starting a new farmers' market requires an initial marketing and promotional investment to draw visitors. In Staff's discussion with the PCFMA, that amount can vary widely and could be as much as $20,000 in promotional support. While some communities choose to provide this initial support directly, other communities seek sponsorships to help offset these costs. Staff would recommend that the City seek sponsorship support for the entire promotional amount. Page 3 of 4 Possible Next Steps If the City Council directs Staff to continue to investigate the establishment of a new farmers' market, the following next steps will be taken: 1. Staff will need to inform PCFMA and its Board of the City's desire to host a market by the end of December 2009, as the Board plans their upcoming year markets in January 2010. 2. Staff will need to quickly initiate an online community survey to determine the level of sustained support from the Dublin community and to determine their preference on location, days and times. Initially, Staff recommends a market be located in Hacienda Crossings on a Wednesday or Thursday night. 3. Staff will report back to the City Council the first meeting in February to review the results . of the survey, the action of the PCFMA Board relating to the City's request for consideration, and any progress made in finding promotional sponsors. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: None ATTACHMENTS: None Page 4 of 4