DDA Pursues New Farmers Market Pavilion

Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board members Friday approved a $97,600 contract for design work for a new permanent farmers market pavilion – a key step that could allow the structure to be built next spring when the city upgrades the market parking lot. Over 30 vendors signed a letter of support for the long-discussed pavilion, which is one of three major projects – along with Rotary Square and riverwalk improvements – the DDA hopes to tackle with remaining TIF 97 funds.

Board members approved hiring Beckett & Raeder – which developed an initial conceptual design for the market shed in 2017 – to update the design and provide cost estimates for construction. DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder said several amenities the pavilion needs to provide were identified through a previous public engagement process, notably wider shopping aisles and cover for vendors. But Burkholder said a more “holistic” project scope is emerging that not only envisions how the pavilion will fit in with repairs to Lot B – the parking lot where the market is held on Grandview Parkway – but connects to a larger placemaking vision.

“We can certainly just say, ‘Here's a shed, and we're going to throw it on top of this parking lot,’” Burkholder said. “But we're trying to create a public space. There's lot of nuance with that.” The DDA is separately working with the firm INFORM Studio on design work for nearby riverwalk improvements that could include upgrades to the J. Smith Walkway, a new bridge to replace the existing bridge over the river between the J. Smith Walkway and farmers market lot, pedestrian amenities in the surrounding alley and parking lot, and environmental upgrades. The new pavilion design should tie into those improvements, Burkholder said.

“That connectivity – about where those pieces align to create a public space that’s more than just a market every Saturday – is one reason why I think this is a good step forward,” he said. Beckett & Raeder’s project team includes Hugh A. Boyd Architects, which Burkholder said has “deep expertise in public market and placemaking design” including the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. Beckett & Raeder’s approach will be to design a “flexible, vibrant, and functional pavilion that complements and enhances its downtown surroundings, rather than merely serving as a shelter over asphalt,” Burkholder said.

Following design work, the DDA will receive a cost estimate that will help the board determine whether to move forward with construction. If feasible to proceed, the project could go out to bid at the end of the year with a targeted spring 2026 construction start. That would align with the city’s planned timing to repave Lot B and install additional stormwater infrastructure. The parking lot’s reconfiguration is another reason why the pavilion design needs to be updated, Burkholder said.

Given that discussions about a pavilion stretch back over a decade, Mayor Amy Shamroe said some critics have questioned whether “the farmers even want this” still. But in addition to support from the Farmers Market Advisory Board, Shamroe pointed to a May 28 letter signed by over 30 vendors backing the project. Stating that “upgrades to the market’s current accommodations are long overdue,” the vendors said there is a need for “improved shelter from the elements as well as improved freedom of movement for vendors and customers.” A 2014 study indicated 65 percent of vendors supported adding a permanent structure to the market, with less than 10 percent opposed, the letter states.

“Since 2014, (the market) has seen an increase in its number of vendors, exacerbating the need for improvements without any progress on the pavilion we expected to resolve these concerns,” the vendors wrote. “While the location of (the market) is accessible and convenient, without permanent infrastructure it lacks a distinct sense of place that many smaller farmers markets across Michigan offer and does not reflect the quality or community of this market.”

On top of work proceeding on the pavilion and nearby riverwalk, design is also underway on the third major project envisioned for remaining TIF 97 funds: Rotary Square. Recent public feedback on multiple design options for the civic square at the corner of State and Union streets has been refined by consulting firm Progressive Companies into two designs that will be unveiled at a community open house July 8 at Rotary Square. Burkholder said the concepts are hybrid options using elements residents most liked across multiple designs.

Further public feedback will narrow those concepts down into one final recommended design. From there, the DDA board will have to decide – just as with the pavilion and riverwalk improvements – what’s feasible to pursue for construction. Funds have been allocated for all three projects in the DDA’s 2025-26 budget, which was approved by city commissioners June 2 and by DDA board members Friday. Included is $400,000 for schematic and engineering services for the riverwalk project, $2.8 million for the pavilion design and construction, and $150,000 for an initial round of Rotary Square improvements – with Burkholder noting that most Rotary Square improvements will likely be slated into the 2026-27 budget.

Still, most of those line items are essentially budget placeholders until the DDA gets concrete engineering estimates and/or bids. Burkholder previously estimated that approximately $9.3 million will be available in the TIF 97 fund for capital improvements before the plan’s expiration at the end of 2027. It’s possible TIF 97 could be extended beyond 2027: DDA board members are expected to revisit that conversation in the coming months, though any extension or new TIF plan would require a public vote. Should the plan expire, however, board members have said they want to try and maximize the remaining funds to implement as many components of their priority projects as possible.

“In all of the three big projects we're working on, the idea is that we continue to work on the schematic (design) to get to a point where we say, ‘This is the cost,’” Burkholder said. “And we'll then make a decision to say, ‘Yes, we're going to move forward.’”