Council did right by market

Kudos to the Chico City Council for approving the Friends of the Farmers’ Market initiative to allow the Saturday market to remain where it is through 2020, despite some of the negativity surrounding the issue. Adopting the initiative not only saves the city around $10,000—the amount it would cost to put the item on the November election ballot—it also avoids a potential lawsuit, considering two city attorneys have questioned the legality of a voter-approved initiative.

We generally agree with the market supporters that after 21 years on the parking lot at Second and Wall streets, the market should get a long-term franchise agreement for use of the space. And we disagree with some of the downtown businesses that argue the market negatively affects them. Many of us at the CN&R are regular market-goers and we see first-hand the availability of parking—for instance, across the street in the municipal lot adjacent to the creek—and the waves of market shoppers walking to and from downtown. So we applaud the City Council for listening to the thousands of Chicoans who signed the petition.

We also, however, agree with Councilwoman Tami Ritter, who pointed out that the way in which some of those signatures were collected was dishonest. “Save the market” certainly sounds sensational, and it was not an accurate portrayal of the issue at hand.

The council appears to be entering into this with good faith, and we urge the Chico Certified Farmers’ Market and its Friends to do the same. The initiative calls for the expansion of the market, and we hope that both parties approach the impending changes with open minds and an eye toward flexibility. After more than 20 years, the farmers’ market has become a true community event, and that community—including downtown businesses—should be taken into account as we move forward.