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Q: What
is the vision for the James Beard Public Market in Portland?
A:
The mission of the James Beard Public Market is to operate
a daily, year-round, indoor-outdoor venue to display the region's
bounty, promote sustainable agricultural practices, encourage healthy
eating and provide entrepreneurial opportunities for those who
produce and sell the food we eat.
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Q: Who
are the supporters?
A:
In 2000, a group of Portland citizens began meeting to discuss
and create a public market. In 2003, the Historic Portland Public
Market Foundation emerged
from that group. Since then, hundreds of Portland-area residents have stepped
forward to support the James Beard Public Market. (Click
here for a list of board members.)
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Q: What
are the accomplishments so far?
A:
- Historic Portland Public Market Foundation gained 501(c)(3)
nonprofit
status
- Invested in
studies to determine economic viability
- Worked with
City of Portland and Portland Development Commission to evaluate
potential sites
- Hosted fundraising
event at Union Station with 600 attendees
- Officially
acquired the exclusive rights to name the market after James
Beard
- The Historic
Portland Public Market Foundation has received funding from:
- The
Office of City Commissioner Charlie Hales
- Portland Development
Commission
- US Department
of Housing and Urban Development
- US Department
of Agriculture
- City of Portland
Bureau of Planning
- Office of
Sustainable Development
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Q: What
site locations are being considered?
A: The
Foundation is currently focusing on a parcel of Multnomah County-owned
property at the west end of the Morrison Bridge. The nearly three-block-long
parcel is currently a parking lot, but has great potential due to its riverfront
position, central location and access to public transportation.
The Foundation
is collaborating with world class Portland developer and property
owner Melvin Mark to propose building a high-rise tower with the market based
on the ground floor and in two adjacent pavilions. Known for charitable contributions
and activism, Mark has been instrumental in driving forward a variety of prominent
projects, among them, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the restoration of the Multnomah
County Library and the Portland Art Museum.
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Q: What’s
next? A: The Foundation is currently waiting for the County to issue the request for
information for development rights for the Morrison Bridge site. If the Foundation
is successful in its bid for the site, it plans to embark on an aggressive capital
campaign.
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Q: What
are good models of public markets?
A: The
Seattle Pike Place Market and Vancouver, B.C.'s, Granville
Island Public Market provide valuable models for a public
market in Portland. We want to
match their vitality, while keeping the primary focus on connecting local
growers & food
producers to local customers. Others include Philadelphia's Reading
Terminal Market and Baltimore's Lexington
Public Market.
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Q: What
are the advantages of the Market to agriculture?
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From
an economic point of view, a public market is an outstanding
small business incubator. Farmers sell produce at retail
rather than wholesale, and improve their cash flow by diversifying
into crops they can harvest in several seasons. For example,
New York’s Greenmarket, which is open year-round, has created
a whole new market in greenhouse-grown vegetables for winter
consumption. |
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Allows
small farmers to conveniently sell to restaurants and institutional
markets by providing a central location, cooler space and loading
docks. These lucrative markets are difficult for small farmers
to pursue because of logistical problems with storage and delivery.
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Serves
as central clearing house for an information network to
keep
restaurants and other customers up-to-the-minute on the availability
of fresh products. |
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Protects
family farms from development by keeping them profitable. |
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Keeps
community dollars in community hands, rather than exporting
them to agribusinesses outside Oregon or, increasingly, outside
the United States.
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Q: What
are the advantages of the Market to Oregon?
| A:
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Creates
a showplace for Oregon agricultural products, to build recognition
of Oregon as a "brand-name" source of high-quality foods and
wines. |
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Provides
a beautiful facility for entertaining out-of-state and international
visitors and promoting Oregon products. |
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Establishes
common goals between urban and rural residents, who are generally
considered antagonists rather than allies in Oregon politics.
Enhances Oregon’s reputation as a place where people with different
interests can find common ground. |
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Reinforces
Portland's reputation as a city that approaches urban planning
creatively.
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