Council approves Farmers Market redevelopment plan with traffic, neighborhood protections

The Los Angeles City Council on Feb. 2 approved a modified tentative tract map for the Farmers Market redevelopment, including amendments that require Stanley Avenue to be opened and expand the project's neighborhood protection plan.

The vote on item 10, as amended by motions 10a and 10b, passed 12-1. Councilmember Ferraro introduced the primary amendment and Councilmember Feuer offered a related amendment to expand the neighborhood protection plan; both were incorporated into the final motion.

Councilmembers and project proponents said the plan preserves the original Farmers Market while reducing the project's scale from earlier approvals and adding traffic and community protections. "The primary goal in designing this project was to preserve the original market, not only to preserve it, but to enhance it, revitalize it," developer Rick Caruso told the council. Hank Hilty, president of the AF Gilmore Company, said the owners have held the property for more than a century and sought a…