Crescent City council backs Bank of America lot as temporary site for downtown farmers market

The Crescent City Council on Jan. 13 directed staff to work with the Community Food Council to locate the 2025 downtown Wednesday farmers market in the Bank of America parking lot, citing vendor access, foot traffic and a need to keep the market’s EBT and market-match programs active.

The decision came after more than an hour of public comment and staff presentations weighing multiple sites — including the Third Street Clock Tower parking lot (this year’s temporary site), the library/Front Street area and Beachfront Park. Council members, market managers and nearby merchants debated competing priorities: vendor visibility and walkability, impacts on brick-and-mortar businesses, restroom access and electrical hookups.

Why it matters: Crescent City’s farmers market is the only certified market in Del Norte County that accepts EBT and offers a market-match program. Market managers told the council they must lock in a single site to obtain the federal FNS number used to process EBT transactions and to qualify for matching grants. Delays to choosing a site could jeopardize those benefits for low-income shoppers and local small farms.

The Food Council’s market manager, Aya Maham, told the council the Bank of America lot “is a viable location” that is central, walkable to nearby apartments and visible from H Street and the post office. Maham said the Food Council needs the location to complete an FNS application and to pursue grant funding that helps sustain the market’s EBT/match programs.

Several downtown business owners urged caution. Christina, representing Christina’s Mexican Restaurant, and other brick‑and‑mortar tenants in Mason Mall said the market in its previous temporary location took multiple parking spaces immediately adjacent to small businesses and caused congestion. “Our parking lot has become extremely congested,” a written statement from a Mason Mall manager said in public comment, citing blocked exits and difficulty for customers and clients with mobility needs.

Council members and staff discussed operational details the Food Council must meet for the Bank of America lot: installing an ADA‑accessible portable restroom and hand‑washing station (required by Environmental Health for temporary food vendors), adding temporary electrical receptacles in light poles and establishing disposal procedures for gray water from cooking vendors. Staff estimates the season‑long cost for an ADA porta‑potty and weekly servicing; the council directed staff to split that porta‑potty cost with the Food Council.

City Manager Eric Weir and Public Works Director Dave Yeager said the lot can be adapted with limited infrastructure work and that staff would return with a one‑year agreement spelling out responsibilities, costs and any conditions such as vendor parking restrictions. The council asked staff to coordinate with adjacent businesses and to consider signage and outreach to direct drivers from Highway 101 to the market.

Council direction: The council gave staff direction to proceed with the Bank of America parking lot as the preferred 2025 site, to work with the Food Council on required infrastructure (portable ADA restroom, hand‑wash station, power hookups) and to return with a written agreement and any recommended mitigating measures for adjoining businesses. The council agreed the site decision would be revisited in future years as downtown planning and other construction projects evolve.

Public comment and next steps: Members of the public urged more robust outreach and signage so drivers learn the market’s location. The Food Council stressed urgency: FNS/EBT permitting tied to a single location can take weeks to process, and grant applications for market‑match funds require that permit. Staff said it would return to council with a draft agreement and cost breakdown before the market opens in June.