City Council approves move of Havre de Grace Farmers Market to Pennington after merchants press for delay

The Havre de Grace City Council voted 5-0 on March 17 to approve the Havre de Grace Farmers Market’s request to relocate its primary market footprint to Pennington Avenue for the 2025 season (May 3–Dec. 20). The decision followed more than an hour of public comment from vendors, downtown merchants and residents.

Merchants at the meeting said they had not received timely notice about the proposed move and warned that removing the Saturday market from its traditional downtown location could further harm business already affected by construction and parking constraints. "The Farmers Market Committee may not be aware of how much the merchants value their presence in the downtown area and rely on the Saturday morning sales," said Anita Swain, proprietor of retail space on St. John Street, urging council to postpone the decision so merchants and the market committee could negotiate alternatives.

Farmers Market representatives and vendors said the Pennington location has produced higher sales during the winter market and would allow the market to grow. Donna Bridal, representing the market committee, told council the Pennington block is wider, permits vendors to park at their stalls, provides easy set-up and take-down, and offers on-site bathrooms and an ATM at the police station. "Our winter market is outselling our regular market sales in the winter market in two hours versus three and a half in our old location," Bridal said.

Vendors and supporters also emphasized safety and logistics: the narrow layout at the market’s current street location has led to drivers occasionally moving through the closed street during setup or takedown, they said. Sandy Magnus, a market vendor, told council Pennington’s larger parking lot and trolley stop improved customer access and vendor operations.

Several downtown merchants urged council to require the market committee to work with the Main Street and merchant groups on mitigation measures. "I want to be able to sustain my business downtown," said Emily Yeatman, a Washington Street merchant, who asked the council to postpone the move to allow talks between brick-and-mortar merchants and the market organizers.

Council discussion acknowledged both the merchants’ concerns and the market’s need to grow. Councilmember Jones moved to approve the market application for Pennington, seconded by Council President Ringczak; the motion passed 5-0. Director of Planning/City staff said the city will continue to coordinate logistics with vendors and downtown business groups and reminded attendees that the city does not operate the Farmers Market — the market is a separate 501(c)(3) organization.

Mayor William T. Martin also noted a long-running legal dispute over the use of Hutchins Park for festivals and said the city still hopes to resolve that litigation and ultimately return the market to the waterfront tent at Hutchins Park if the courts permit it. He urged vendors and merchants to collaborate on marketing and shared promotions while the market is operating at Pennington.

The council did not attach any additional conditions to the market’s permit at the March 17 vote. Staff said they would work with the market committee and Main Street representatives on signage, vendor layout, and a plan for shared promotions between merchants and the market.

The Farmers Market application as approved in the council motion will move forward for the 2025 season; details about vendor placement and any required city permits will be handled administratively.

Ending

Councilmembers said they expect ongoing outreach between the market committee and downtown businesses and encouraged merchants who requested more time to engage with the Farmers Market Committee and city staff to propose specific mitigation or partnership ideas.