by Tim Canada
“The laws of Loveland since 2011 stipulate that the Loveland Farmers Market is to be located in downtown, and located on city owned property! Jackson Street Market is owned by the Loveland Symmes Fire Fighters Association.”
Hello to all,
Tuesday evening’s council meeting was very informative.
There was a packed house of concerned citizens and non citizens that wanted to be educated and speak. I spoke on behalf of the businesses located in the Brown Building, on Karl Brown Way and adjacent to the Little Miami River. Of the nearly 20 businesses I spoke to, only two had a neutral stance on the market’s location at Jackson Street. I was unable to contact one of the nine businesses located in the Brown Building.
As I stated in the council meeting, not one business is against the market being in the City of Loveland! Not One! We all support the market as directed in the Loveland Code of Ordinances, the law of the land.
[quote_box_right]As I did my research. I can understand how the ordinance was over-looked.[/quote_box_right]The laws of Loveland since 2011 stipulate that the Loveland Farmers Market is to be located in downtown, and located on city owned property! This is undeniable! But asks the question why the market ever was located at the Jackson Street Location or the previous bowling alley on Loveland-Madeira Rd.
As I did my research. I can understand how the ordinance was over-looked. In 2011 the ordinance passed city council, regulating where the market could locate and how the market manager was appointed. As we all know the market started out at the current location of Loveland Station. It is common knowledge, that piece of property was slated to be developed when it was purchased. In 2013 Tom Carroll was the City Manager that allowed the market to move to Jackson Street. He resigned in June of 2013. The city had an interim manager while searching for a permanent city manager., the whole time, facing a very intense and trying over-haul of the downtown community. Fortunately, Dave Kennedy was hired in August of 2014 during the start of all the construction in downtown!
The only thing that was not accounted for in 2013 and 2014 was the gridlock, traffic congestion and lack of parking brought to the area and businesses surrounding Karl Brown Way and the Brown Building – by the insertion of the market at Jackson Street.
The issue that hurts the rent paying businesses was the parking spots taken from the Brown Building lot, while the market occupied the Jackson Street Location.
These two photos above actually represent the Jackson Street Market. The sign, the ATM and the concrete slab is The Jackson Street Market – not any of the parking lot or entrance!
Please remember that the Brown Building is rented by 9 different tenants that pay rent for their location, and need this parking for their clients, customers and employee’s. Also be aware, that by the governing ordinance, the market pays $1 in rent for their location, which is another reason why the market must be on city owned property.
These two photos show the usage of the Brown Building parking lot at 3 PM last Sunday and 3PM this Monday. Thirty cars or more per day use this lot for employee’s, clients, and customers for all downtown businesses!
I thought it interesting that two other market operators (Madeira and Montgomery ) spoke about our market. Both of those markets are located in school parking lots and on roads (Miami Ave. and Montgomery Rd.) very similar to Loveland Madeira Road.
The “Friends of Loveland Farmers Market” (FoLFM) portrays the market time on Tuesday’s as a few hours. This portrayal is very misleading because the market blocks off 75-80% of the lot before 9 AM on market days. Taking away needed parking for those tenants, clients, and customers for the entire day.
The FoLFM call the market an event like Christmas in Loveland or the Fourth of July celebration. Actually, the market is a seasonal business running for 26 weeks from May through October. The market is registered as a business corporation in the State of Ohio as a Not-for-profit company . Neither Christmas in Loveland of July Fest are Ohio corporations.
The Jackson Street and Brown Building area covers roughly two blocks. I’m sure everyone would agree that an influx of nearly 40 business venders (a 220% increase in the business footprint, 80% to the downtown area) cannot happen without causing a huge amount of congestion, traffic and parking issues for the city, Brown Building and area businesses. This is just the vender influx and does not include any additional influx of consumer traffic attending the market.
[pull_quote_left]There simply is not enough room and the law states that the market must be located on city owned property.[/pull_quote_left]There simply is not enough room and the law states that the market must be located on city owned property. The Jackson Street Market and the Brown Building are owned by the Loveland Symmes Fire Fighters Association.
The ordinance was written to protect the market, citizenry, and local private businesses from the issues going on now.
In closing, FoLFM has said that they wanted a market that they can walk to, downtown. The ordinance provides for this to happen, in 2016, and beyond. The three possible locations, Nisbet Park, city building parking lot, and the new parking lot being constructed on the McCoy property all achieve this. If there is a non-city owned location the market director wants to locate to, then there is a process to follow for consideration. This process includes planning and zoning meetings, public hearings, multiple council meetings and new legislation. The city can’t set the precedence of not following the law of the land; it would open up an entire can of worms pertaining to the enforceability and legitimacy of the entire code. As the ordinance states, only two people can decide the location of the market, the city manager and the city appointed market director. Good luck to both!
