A city market, it’s not
By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist
Fri. Jun 19 - 4:46 AM
IT SEEMS fitting that in the same week the new development plan for downtown Halifax was passed by city council, it was announced that work will finally begin on the proposed $12-million Seaport Farmers Market.
That’s because the environmentally friendly design of the new market building seems to be exactly the type of structure that fits in with the aspirations expressed in the HRM by Design plan — a more residentially oriented and pedestrian-friendly downtown.
The refurbished 40,000-square-foot building, currently known as Pier 20, will employ Leadership in Engineering and Environment Design techniques, which make the structure expensive to build, but cheap to operate. The design will allow for passive ventilation, harbour cooling, wind power, rainwater conservation, rooftop agriculture, solar collection and geothermal storage.
Cynics are already expecting that the new building won’t allow for the same old atmosphere of the current market in the Keith’s Brewery building on Lower Water Street.
but I’m sure the seaport market will soon develop its own ambiance that will be quickly embraced by the hundreds of people who regularly flock to the market.
Overlooking Georges Island, the new location is undeniably picturesque, but there’s just one thing — it really isn’t part of the downtown.
Someday, there may be a lot of people living within walking distance of Pier 20, but in 2009 Halifax only a few people have the luxury of leisurely walking over to the Halifax farmers market to pick up a few locally grown vegetables.
The rest of us have to take a car, or maybe a bus.
The new structure is a great addition to Halifax, but it really won’t have the same impact as it would if it was located in a more central location.
Someone once told me they thought the site of the former Infirmary Hospital on Queen Street would have been a better location for the market because of a greater potential for the spinoff of economic benefits, especially for enterprises in the Spring Garden Road business district.
I brought up that idea in conversation recently and my friends argued that parking is a major factor.
Parking is already a problem associated with the current farmers market, they argue, and it would be the same or worse if the market had been moved to Queen Street.
If parking is the primary reason for locating the market on the waterfront — near the Cunard Centre, Garrison Brewing Co., NSCAD University and Pier 21 museum — it seems to run converse to the spirit of building such an advanced structure.
Since it is to become a showpiece for Halifax’s more environmentally friendly future, certainly government should have a say in the location.
The bulk of the funding for the new farmers market is coming from public sources, otherwise I would say it really isn’t anyone’s business where a company or co-operative chooses to locate.
The spot on the waterfront doesn’t seem to jibe with HRM by Design.
Sure, the bus schedule could be adjusted to make a regular trip down to Pier 20 and 21, but that doesn’t make up for having a farmers market within easy walking distance of a vibrant residential district.
As for difficulty finding a parking spot, it seems like a good way to encourage more people to walk and use transit, which is also part of the HRM by Design plan.
(
rtaylor@herald.ca)
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