City seeks community opinion on public market

Madison residents interested in the future development of a city public market gathered Tuesday, Oct. 29 to share their thoughts and concerns with the project’s consultants.

The Madison Local Food Committee and consultants Projects for Public Spaces introduced the current status and future plans of the Madison Public Market and opened the floor for suggestions from the crowd during the Open House.  Attendees were able to jot down their hopes, wishes, issues and concerns for the project on large poster boards.

Once completed, the Madison Public Market will serve as a year round farmers’ market and include not only retail but also wholesale, aggregation and distribution of locally based food, among other things.

“What we’ve come to is a much stronger vision for an extraordinary place that will include synergies of an indoor market, food system activities, and perhaps art and music,” Madison Local Food Committee Chairwoman Anne Reynolds said.  “It will be a place that will bring the community together and for diverse parts of the community to meet.”

Community visions for the public market included art and music studios and stages, a natural play area, interactive and cultural aspects, and free Wi-Fi. 

Concerns involved food scarcity, how the farmers’ market will continue to run and stay vibrant in the winter and ensuring market access of healthy food to low-income residents. 

Craig Merten, sustainability farmer and entrepreneur at Vitruvian Farms in McFarland, hopes to see sustainability efforts including solar panels, solar water heating, and irrigation systems imposed at the market. 

Merten and his farming partners, whose farm sells to restaurants and grocery stores in the Capitol Square and UW campus area, are interested in getting involved in the farmers’ market aspect of the public market.

Some residents attended the Open House not to contribute ideas but to gain more insights on the plans of the public market. UW-Madison graduate student Claire Boyce was unsure as to what had been developed so far and is interested in how the market will work with other current food projects and non-profits in the area. 

“Food is my passion and I recently realized I could make it into a career, so I’m really excited to see these kinds of projects take shape,” Boyce said.

In July, Madison Commons published a timeline about the progress of the Public Market. 

The Open House concluded with the next steps for the development of the Madison Public Market. The consultants will be identifying key stakeholders and start site exploration throughout the city.