DDA Board Approves Farmers Market Design, Two-Way State Street, Rotary Square Engineering

Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board members took action on three key projects Friday – approving a final design for a new farmers market pavilion, recommending approval to city commissioners to make State Street two way permanently, and approving detailed engineering work for Rotary Square.

Farmers Market Design
A long-discussed project to add a pavilion to the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market – providing shelter from the elements, electrical power, running water, and lighting for vendors – is ready to move forward.

DDA board members approved a final design for the permanent structure Friday (pictured, renderings). DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder called the pavilion a “modern, flexible, and accessible space” that can serve as a visual landmark for the farmers market and community gathering area. Beckett & Raeder and Edge Design Associates presented the design, which will allow the farmers market to expand from 74 to 113 booths and accommodate a wider range of vehicles, such as box trucks.

A translucent skylight runs down the middle of the pavilion to provide natural light, while large columns support the structure and can withstand strong winds off the bay and large snow loads in the winter. Maintenance and durability were “taken into account at every turn,” said Dan Mooney of Edge Design. Each column will be outfitted with electrical to provide power to vendors, while an approach made of pavers provide a “nice entry point” for shoppers coming into the market, Mooney said.

The rooftop can accommodate future solar power, while accent lighting will support evening use – potentially allowing the pavilion to be rented out for private events. The design team considered a full enclosure of the structure, but that added significant expense: Such a move would require installing a fire suppression system, for instance. However, the design could accommodate enclosure if desired in the future, Mooney said.

The pavilion is intended to fit in with other surrounding changes. The city plans to repave Lot B (where the market is held) and install stormwater infrastructure, so the structure’s design aligns with those elements. Rain coming off the pavilion roof, for example, will be funneled directly into an underground stormwater system. Cars will still be able to park under the pavilion when not in use for the market; elements of that striping design could potentially tie into plans for a redesigned riverwalk area and new pedestrian bridge.

In addition to a letter of support for the pavilion from three dozen market vendors representing 30 businesses, DDA board members were enthusiastic about the plan. Mayor Amy Shamroe appreciated the effort that went into the design and materials, saying the structure mirrors those seen at other notable farmers markets around the country. “It’s giving us that feel of connection to the farmers and really upping the game here for the agricultural business that we know is such a huge part of our community,” she said.

With unanimous board approval of the design, construction drawings will next be completed for the pavilion. The project is expected to go out to bid this winter, with the DDA and city planning to work in tandem next spring on the pavilion and parking lot construction. The project will still need to go through one more DDA and city commission vote to approve funding. Estimates have put the project at just over $2.5 million, with the pavilion one of three major projects the DDA has budgeted for remaining TIF 97 funds. Burkholder said more market improvements could be made in the future, including signage, landscaping, accessibility upgrades, and enhancements to the bird house building.

Two-Way State Street
DDA board members voted unanimously Friday to support permanently converting State Street, Pine Street, and Boardman Avenue to two-way traffic after three years of studying the change as a pilot project.

Chris Zull of Progressive Companies provided a summary of data collected to date, saying that the conversion has slowed traffic, increased utilization on State Street (based on parking revenues), and reduced the number of accidents involving cyclists/pedestrians. Zull said the change was also supported by a majority of businesses. “32 of 43 business owners with property along State Street rated their experience with the two-way pilot as ‘very positive’ or ‘somewhat positive,’ while nine rated their experience as ‘somewhat negative’ or ‘very negative,’” according to a Progressive Companies memo.

Board members agreed the corridor felt safer and more accessible as a two-way street. Making the conversion permanent still offers the opportunity for more improvements, Zull said, such as changing turning movements at the Cass and Union intersections. Board members also discussed the possibility of extending two-way traffic on Front Street between Union and Pine and Boardman and Park in the future. The recommendation to make the two-way conversion permanent now goes to city commissioners for final approval.

Rotary Square
Finally, DDA board members Friday approved spending up to $165,000 with Progressive Companies for design development for Rotary Square. After finalizing a conceptual design for the park at the corner of Union and State streets this fall  – which “strikes a balance between an active public plaza and a natural respite within downtown Traverse City,” according to Burkholder – the next step is to complete a site survey, detailed engineering, materials analysis and selection, and refined cost estimates. Initial estimates put Rotary Square improvements at $2.55 million, with the park another one of the major projects the DDA intends to fund from TIF 97.

As with other design work to date, the next design development phase will be funded from a Rotary Charities grant awarded to the DDA for Rotary Square.  “This is money that has been given to us specifically for this and only to be spent on this,” Shamroe said.