Commission Tables Farmers' Market Request

— The Planning Commission tabled a request allowing Fayetteville Farmers’ Market to erect a tent and extend its days of operation at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

City Attorney Kit Williams said five commissioners must recommend a request before it moves to the City Council.

At A Glance

Fayetteville Farmers’ Market

The downtown market on the square is open from 7 a.m., to 2 p.m. Saturday from April to the third week in November and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday from April through October.

Source: Fayetteville Farmers’ Market

“Being that there are only five people here, unless you get a unanimous vote, I would suggest tabling until there are more members present,” he said.

Commissioners who attended Tuesday’s meeting were Craig Honchell, Kyle Cook, Porter Winston, Matthew Cabe and Tracy Hoskins.

Those who were absent included William Chesser, Blake Pennington, Sarah Bunch and Ryan Noble.

Hoskins said he couldn’t support the request because the market would have free use of the site, while charging vendors a fee to sublet the property.

“That’s a big issue for me,” he said. “A couple days a week is one thing, but this is permanent and therefore I can’t support it.”

For three years, vendors at the garden have sold fruit, vegetables, meat, flowers and furniture on Sunday.

The site is open May through October each year.

Lori Boatright, market coordinator, wants to expand the days of operation year-round to Saturday, Sunday and some other day of the week. Boatright also requested the tent be available throughout the year for special events.

“We have a lot of vendors with a lot of product and no place to go with it this time of year,” she said. “We’ve seen an increase in customers wanting it. With the erection of this tent, we can meet those needs and provide shelter for vendors and customers.”

Boatright said the new days and hours aren’t set in stone.

The tent would be similar to a fireworks tent, covering roughly 5,000 square feet, according to the proposal.

Honchell said he was concerned with parking and violation of the streamside protection ordinance.

Williams suggested adding an condition “that would provide demarcation showing where the streamside is located.”

“If you don’t have signs or ribbons to protect it, I think people are going to violate it,” he said. “We have to ensure that this violation isn’t going to occur.”

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