I like this idea and I hope it happens...with the demise of locating the market in the firehouse in Old Town, I think a Public Market @ Union Station is a great alternative and would really be a nice economic/tourist shot in the arm for that area...(forgive me if this has been posted or included in a previous post already).
From The NW Examiner:
http://www.portlandpublicmarket.com/...ory070115.html
Trading Spaces
Northwest resident Ron Paul looks at Untion Station as site for a new public market after the city nixes his group's designs on former fire station
By Allan Classen
Ron Paul has been on a seven-year mission to establish a public market in Portland. The former restaurateur and longtime Northwest District resident believes buying fresh food from local producers has enormous benefit for our health, our cities and the environment.
His saga took a hit last July when the city cancelled a project to move the central fire station to Old Town and free its current location for a public market. But Paul is not easily discouraged.
"Our position became: trade up," said Paul, the consulting director of the Historic Portland Public Market Foundation.
In "trading up," the organization has its sights on an even better location, a historic landmark with great visibility at the hub of transportation crossroads. They want to go into Union Station.
"Based on the number of other rail stations around the country exploring higher levels of commerce and food, what I'm wanting to explore is: Can a station accommodate rail traffic and a vibrant public market?"
The train station has actually been at the top of the organization's list of possible sites since Paul's group was formed. Notable rail stations in other cities have gone this route. Grand Central Station in New York City houses the Grand Central Market, and Union Station in Washington, D.C., has lots of small shops and restaurants, he said. Amtrak has a national campaign to upgrade and enliven stations it owns or uses.
Paul's initial idea was to wait for Amtrak's expected move to Portland's eastside, leaving Union Station largely vacant. But when the Bush Administration sliced funds for Amtrak, that possibility died.
Now he thinks a public market could co-exist with train service. But getting the train station ready for a new use would require major investment. It's in serious disrepair and needs perhaps $30 million in seismic upgrades and repairs. When it rains, "it leaks like a sieve," Paul admitted.
Diana Holuka, who manages the property for the city's Office of Management and Finance, confirmed that virtually every part of the structure-from the roof to the wiring to the foundation-needs work, and outside funding is needed. Leases with Amtrak and other tenants (such as Wilf's restaurant) cannot cover the needed work.
Because the national historic landmark is owned by the city, Paul believes city leaders will eventually find the resources to save and restore it.
"The city needs to take care of this asset regardless," he said. "There has been no compelling reason to fix it in the past, but the market becomes a catalyst to change that."
And to justify the investment, new uses and revenue streams would be necessary.
Paul estimates that preparing the station to include a market would cost an additional $5-$6 million, an amount that could be generated by grants and donations. His job now is to persuade the community and its leaders that a public market has that magnitude of potential.
"It would be an economic development engine par excellence," he said. "It brings people from far and wide."
After mulling these factors, "The balance in my mind began to tip," he said. "We don't need to wait for Amtrak to move out or wait for federal support to come in. We could do it locally."
At this point, the Public Market Foundation is seeking about $25,000 from City Hall for a study to see if the project could be feasible.
"We are at the very early stages of just exploring the possibilities," Paul said. "We know there are mountains of issues."
For one, if Amtrak is flatly opposed, it could end right there. That being so, Paul has approached the rail company gingerly."
Amtrak's initial reaction was more positive than we feared," he told the Pearl District Neighborhood Association last month.
Amtrak's lease runs through 2010, with an option to extend to 2015, said Holuka. The train company currently leases the concourse off the main lobby where Paul would like to put the public market. He also thinks its baggage area is largely unused and might provide an option.
Obsessed with food
Paul believes the city would support a major public market because, as the New York Times reported recently, "Portland is obsessed with food." The quote came from prominent New York City restaurant operator Danny Meyer, who was asked about a growing national awareness of where our food supply comes from, how it's produced and food quality. Portland was at the top of his list of American cities where people are going the extra mile for high-quality, locally produced food.
Paul has been at the heart of that movement since he opened his first restaurant at Northwest 23rd and Quimby in 1983. (He later moved to Northwest 23rd and Everett and opened other eateries under his name in Northeast and Southwest Portland.) In the 1990s, he was part of a loose federation that included chefs, restaurateurs, architects, food writers and urban planners who formed the local nexus of the "slow food" movement.
Paul, who has spoken to groups about the problems of the modern industrialized food system and the growth of more natural alternatives, said, "Food consciousness is rising all the time." He believes that translates into rising demand for a public market that would offer local produce, meat and other food items.
"That ethos has begun to change with the success of Portland Farmers' Market. New Seasons and others have put a premium on local foods and organic food," he said.
Restaurants are increasingly getting all their greens from a particular grower, for instance, or all their beef from one rancher and promoting these sources by name, he noted.
"Increasingly, you're seeing that on restaurant menus," he said. "It all reinforces the consideration of local food. The pendulum is shifting now."
Joan Pendergast, president of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, is ready to get on board.
"Everyone is eager to see the market- at least I am," she announced after Paul's recent presentation to her association.
Getting the money may be a harder sell.
Lew Bowers, a development manager for the Portland Development Commission, said the station is in the Downtown/Waterfront Urban Renewal Area and is thus eligible for low-interest loans and grants, but that program is being phased out and has no more uncommitted money.
"His concept and timing are right," said Bowers. "At some point, we're going to have to deal with Union Station."
In the short-term, however, "There are no funds available through the Urban Renewal Area," he said. "It may be a good idea, but we have no time or staff to actively pursue it. ... Our plates are full."
Prev
Linear Mode
