HARLINGEN — The Downtown Improvement District board of directors yesterday voted to seek more time and information about possibly moving the Harlingen Farmers Market four blocks west.
The market operates Saturdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 122 N. A St. between Jackson and Monroe.
In documents presented to the board, farmers market manager Kate McSwain indicated any moving of the market — in this case four blocks over to the Centennial Park parking lot — would have to include a shade structure for both farmers and their customers.
A grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation to the Mayor’s Wellness Coalition included funding for just that.
McSwain informed the board previously that those involved with the market are onboard with the relocation — so long as there’s shade.
The board declined to give its approval to moving the farmers market, with several voicing concerns about parking on West Street where Centennial Park is located.
“They need to realign West Street,” said board chair Bill DeBrooke. “It needs to be realigned one-way north is the logical thing to do, and have angle-in parking up against the sidewalk next to the parking lot. You can’t do angle-in parking on both sides — the street’s not wide enough.
“What you have right now in terms of permanent parking is three rows of parking,” DeBrooke continued. “If you do the farmers market you’re left with one row of parking for the public, which doesn’t make much sense if you’re moving the farmers market there to get better access.”
The board voted to seek more information on how West Street could accommodate the market and what would have to be reconfigured to account for traffic flow and parking.
