Construction on a new farmers market pavilion – originally slated to break ground this spring – will now likely begin after the National Cherry Festival. That timing will allow the National Cherry Festival to keep its carnival midway in the same location this summer but push back the start of improvements to Rotary Square. The Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board discussed those and other downtown projects Friday.

The new pavilion, estimated at roughly $2.5 million, will provide a permanent structure for the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market and other downtown events. The long-discussed project will offer shelter from the elements, electrical power, running water, and lighting for users. The layout will allow the farmers market to expand from 74 to 113 booths and accommodate a wider range of vehicles, such as box trucks. DDA board members approved the final design in November, which has subsequently gone to the city commission, planning commission, and Parks and Recreation commission for review.

The project will be paid for with tax increment financing (TIF) 97 funds. The DDA initially hoped to break ground this spring, with the market temporarily relocating to Rotary Square at the corner of Union and State streets during construction. However, multiple final steps including gathering and evaluating bids, selecting contracts, and finalizing approvals with the DDA board and city commission has made mid/late summer a more “realistic timeline,” DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder said Friday.

That’s good news for the National Cherry Festival, which can now keep its carnival in the parking lot for its 100th anniversary celebration this year. However, a targeted July or August construction start means the farmers market will be relocating to Rotary Square during its peak summer season. It also moves the project into the DDA’s next fiscal year – which starts July 1 – requiring the DDA to roll that allocated funding over to the next budget cycle, Burkholder said.

The new pavilion is happening in tandem with another city project. The city has been planning to repair Lot B, where the market is held at the corner of Grandview Parkway and Cass Street, for over a decade. Work has been repeatedly postponed for reasons that have included trying to coordinate with the pavilion project to avoid tearing the lot up twice.

The lot reconstruction is now moving forward and includes over $1 million in estimated repairs, such as removing parking from along the Boardman River (an environmental improvement recommended in the Lower Boardman River Unified Plan), making stormwater improvements, separating vehicular connections between Lot B and the neighboring Lot T (pedestrian connections will remain), and installing tree canopy islands to meet current zoning requirements, according to a memo from Parking and Mobility Director Nicole VanNess. While the project will be mostly covered by the city’s auto parking fund, the DDA has budgeted $110,000 in TIF funding toward the stormwater portion of the project, VanNess wrote.

Lot B will be converted to pay-by-plate parking as part of the project, with some of the spaces along Grandview Parkway eliminated to return that right-of-way to the Michigan Department of Transportation, as requested by the state. Parking in Lot B will reduce from 136 to 100 spaces overall, with parking available under the pavilion when it’s not in use.

Moving the farmers market to Rotary Square this summer means improvements planned for that park will also get a later start. After recently approving a final design for Rotary Square, the DDA has been working with contractors to complete geotechnical work at the site. The DDA and city are also in discussions about whether the alley and parking spaces south of Rotary Square can be reconfigured and incorporated into the new design, or if they must be preserved as they are. The city commission is likely to weigh in on that decision in early March, Burkholder said.

The DDA will soon be ready to develop construction documents that could go out to bid for Rotary Square. However, improvements wouldn’t start until after the farmers market moves back to Lot B. That means Rotary Square work likely wouldn’t begin until late summer or fall, Burkholder said, depending on the pavilion timing.

Meanwhile, another downtown project is ready to begin soon. DDA board members voted Friday to approve up to $198,000 in TIF 97 funds to replace the Cass Street mid-block crosswalk between Front and State streets. The DDA planned to repair that crosswalk last year, but city commissioners blocked the DDA from spending $98,000 on the project. Some on the board, such as former Commissioner Tim Werner, said they wanted to see the crosswalk redesigned with bump-outs that would narrow the crossing and increase the visibility of pedestrians.

The crosswalk has since been redesigned, which more than doubled the project cost. Burkholder acknowledged it was a “substantial increase to our initial investment,” but also said the requested bump-outs are in line with a “pedestrian friendly” downtown. The aprons on either side of the crosswalk connecting to the alley will also be improved. Work is expected to start this spring, with lane and/or road closures expected around the project site during construction.