Guadalupe business group seeks downtown parking lot for weekly farmers market; council gives location consensus

Stephanie (GBA Farmers Market committee) asked the City Council on Feb. 25 to designate the downtown city parking lot on the 800 block of Guadalupe Street as the site for a weekly farmers market and to waive or reduce event fees, provide limited police supervision, allow use of city trash receptacles and offer storage at City Hall for vendor equipment.

The market organizers asked to run the market Sundays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., with vendor setup at 11 a.m. and breakdown by 4 p.m. They said the market would include fresh produce, cottage foods, arts-and-crafts booths, portable toilets with warm-water wash stations required for vendors, a Market Match/EBT redemption mechanism, and a small performance space around an existing gazebo. Stephanie said the group has identified a market manager willing to serve initially and that the Dune Center received a grant that can be used only for…