The Overland Park Parks and Recreation Committee voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the name Clock Tower Landing for the new farmers market pavilion and adjacent downtown gathering space.

Meg (communications director) presented the naming process, saying staff sought suggestions via an online form and public outreach and that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee had unanimously endorsed the staff recommendation. "We had 216 suggestions," Meg said, and the staff recommendation — Clock Tower Landing — was developed to reference the existing downtown clock tower landmark while allowing the space to host a broader range of activities beyond the farmers market.

Some council members objected to dropping the words "farmers market" from the official project name. Councilmember Mosher said the market’s identity might be obscured for visitors if the name does not mention the farmers market: "If I were an out-of-town visitor, would it say 'farmers market'?" Mosher said she feared the space could be perceived primarily as an event center rather than the city’s signature farmers market.

Meg and other council members responded that the farmers market would remain branded as the Overland Park Farmers Market and that marketing and signage on the pavilion itself will continue to identify the market and its Wednesday and Saturday vendor events. Staff also noted that the "landing" language nods to the aviation history of downtown Overland Park and provides a flexible name for future development or multiple subspaces within the overall project area.

A motion to recommend that City Council approve the project name — "move to recommend city council approval of the named Clock Tower Landing for the Future Farmers Market Improvement Project and Downtown Gathering Space Project" — was made and seconded. The motion passed "aye" and was recorded as unanimous by the committee.

Why it matters: The name will be used for the $34 million-plus public investment in the downtown block that includes the pavilion, clock tower plaza and related public space improvements; how the city brands the project affects marketing, wayfinding and public perception of the farmers market and downtown programming.

The committee did not amend the recommendation; it proceeded to recommend City Council approval.