Sunday, November 09, 2008
Restore City Market to its historic function
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Stephen Davies
Davies is the senior vice president of Project for Public Spaces in New York, an organization dedicated to creating and sustaining public spaces that build stronger communities.
As the debate brews about Roanoke's City Market Building, let's put the discussion about the future of the building in a broader perspective. Leveraging all the dedication Roanoke residents express for the City Market, we hope that the public/private leadership in Roanoke will recognize that the Market Building is, indeed, at a critical juncture in its history. Today, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to assure the viability of the market into the future.
While the Market Building and the farmers' market are widely recognized as community treasures, most people who shop and use them regularly probably have no idea of how fortunate Roanoke is. Today there are only about a hundred historic public market halls left in the entire U.S.
When we were asked by a local coalition to prepare a plan for the revitalization of the City Market Building, we were struck by the unique opportunity here. Not only did the Market Building still exist, it was in relatively good architectural and structural condition. Moreover, over the past two decades since it was relocated from around the Market Building, the outdoor market has continued to grow and expand, bringing a new level of investment in downtown.
Despite the abundance of activity around it, the City Market Building itself is underperforming. There is a lot of vacant and underused space, and while there is a loyal lunch crowd, vendors are not drawing many people at other times of the day. Gone is the original character of the market: a public market. Remaining is a dark food court and a half-used mezzanine seating area. The second floor, with its amazing auditorium space, sits empty.
This situation reflects on the city's challenges in managing the market. Most cities have already divested themselves from the role of managing their public markets, recognizing that in today's competitive food economy, more flexibility and entrepreneurial operation is needed.
As the Market Building remains in a 1980s time warp, there is more demand for fresh, local foods than there was even five years ago. Time magazine's cover last year said, "Forget Organic, Buy Local," reflecting the amazing new awareness in consumers that local food not only tastes better, but supports local economic development as well. In contrast, a recent study for Detroit found that, if only 20 percent of fresh food purchases were locally sourced, it would create 36,000 new jobs in a five-county region, and 5,000 jobs in the city itself.
Given such a powerful new source of economic development, Roanoke's City Market Building is positioned perhaps as almost no other city in the U.S. to take advantage of these new trends. It is a kind of "Back to the Future" phenomenon: The City Market Building was historically a major economic driver for the city. It could be again.
Our plan for the market, developed with quite a bit of local participation, is all about taking advantage of the assets of the Market Building. The under-used spaces along the market arcade can once again become natural vending locations for farmers and vendors year-round, as well as providing space for café seating. Current Market Building food vendors can most certainly stay in the market, and the renovation will be an opportunity that opens new business opportunities for them.
A restored market hall, flooded with sunlight from the existing clerestory windows, will also allow new year-round local food businesses, such as butchers, bakers and cheese mongers, to flourish. This mix of vendors, new and old, will attract more customers, weekday and weekend. The second floor auditorium can host weddings, meetings and cultural events year round, generating more revenue and foot traffic, as well.
We believe that nothing short of a complete renovation and repositioning of the Market Building will have the impact that is needed. This approach is sensible and practical: simply restoring the historic function of the City Market Building.
Together with the right management, the City Market will broaden its customer base and create a stronger community place, a role markets have served for centuries. Roanoke's history is steeped in a strong public market. It's a matter of common sense to make it part of the city's future.
