THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180221
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 84 lines
As far as City Council is concerned there will be a Farmer's Market, but the question remains: Where?
On that point, there is some mild disagreement among members, who offer varying ideas about where to rebuild the burned-out facility.
Sections of the 20-year-old marketplace at Dam Neck and Princess Anne roads were destroyed by a pre-dawn fire Aug. 22, and merchants and municipal officials have been scratching their heads over what to do with it since then. Some, like Councilwoman Reba S. McClanan, just want some action - now - even if it means a temporary new market installed on the same site.
``My opinion is we should make a decision and pull together and do something,'' she said.
Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said she's undecided. ``I definitely want a Farmer's Market,'' she said, ``but I don't have any opinions yet. I'm waiting until we get a staff report, which is due some time in November.''
Others, like Vice Mayor William D. Sessoms and Councilmen Louis Jones and Harold Heischober, say a new Farmer's Market should be built on another site, preferably nearby and within easy access of its most faithful patrons in the northern boroughs of the city.
``At this point, I'm not convinced that that (present site) is the best place for it,'' Sessoms said. ``The Virginia Beach Higher Education Center is going to back up to that property. If it was moved across the street, there could be more activity around it.''
Jones said, ``I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other. There are access problems at the present location. Maybe (it could be moved) next to Princess Anne Park, near Independence Boulevard, where there's city-owned land.''
Heischober added: ``Quite simply, where I stand is that we should retain it. The question in my mind is should we do it where it is - given that the graduate center is going where it is?''
Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. is of a mind to keep the market where it is but to turn it over to the hands of a seasoned business professional who would operate it as a profit-making concern. ``If we move it somewhere else, we ought to be doggone sure it's going to be profitable,'' Harrison said. ``I feel strongly that it has not been operated as a true business market at its present location.''
Councilman Linwood O. Branch III foresees council members agreeing to continue operation of the market on its present site temporarily with a decision imminent on possible relocation.
A decision on the fate of the Farmer's Market will probably be made before December, council members agreed.
The urgency of an early resolution to the market location is prompted by the need to keep as many tenants as possible. Most affected tenants have been operating on leases that allow the city to terminate on a 30-day notice. Many vendors are uncertain what to do with their market operations, said McClanan. Some have folded and a few have opted to move to other locations.
``I don't think we've sent people a clear signal,'' she said. ``I think we need to make our plans.''
There also is a need to maintain what has become a landmark marketplace that attracts customers from all corners of South Hampton Roads, Oberndorf said.
At the council's informal meeting Tuesday, Oberndorf recalled a recent trip to a local supermarket, where she was confronted by a Suffolk woman who demanded that the market remain in operation.
``She was serious,'' Oberndorf said, and explained that the incident illustrated the regional appeal the market had generated over the years. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
PRESENT SITE: But Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. wants a
profit-making concern.
MOVE IT: Vice Mayor William D. Sessoms says new market should be
closer to its faithful patrons.
UNDECIDED: Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf says she's waiting for a staff
report due in November.
Graphic
WHAT ABOUT YOU ?
The City Council will hold a special hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday
to gather residents' opinions on the Farmer's Market. The meeting
will be held in council chambers on the second floor of the City
Hall Building. Speakers are encouraged to sign up in advance by
calling the City Clerk's office at 427-4303. They also can sign up
at the meeting Wednesday. by CNB