• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Vendors and devoted patrons, including a large number of UCLA students, rallied against the shutt

With the final meeting of the Westwood Farmers’ Market last Thursday, the market’s organizers have been left looking for alternative options for the future of the market.

The market was traditionally held on Thursday afternoons at the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue, but the Los Angeles Fire Department recently found the area to be unsafe for public use because of nearby construction and revoked its street-use permit, effectively ending its 12-year run in Westwood Village.

Owner Aaron Shapiro said market organizers have been evaluating other locations in Westwood suitable to host the weekly event.

One site the organizers have been considering lies on the southern stretch of Broxton Avenue, between Kinross and Weyburn avenues.

Shapiro said much planning has been put into the area as a possible location for the market.

“We’ve got all the diagrams. We’ve got everything to scale. We’ve done everything except take satellite photos of the site,” he said.

But Shapiro added that local merchants have opposed the market’s move to that location based on fears that it could detract from their own businesses.

Phil Gabriel, owner of Scrubs Unlimited on Weyburn Avenue, said local merchants are opposed to having hot-food vendors at the market because they takes away business from local restaurants.

But Shapiro said if the market is located on Broxton Avenue, hot-food vendors as well as crafts vendors would be eliminated.

Gabriel added that the market was developed before the construction of Ralphs and Whole Foods Market, which sell fresh fruits and vegetables, making the market unnecessary now.

Shapiro said the market was looking for alternatives to a closure for some time, working with city Councilman Jack Weiss’ office to identify and propose solutions, but none of their proposals has been accepted.

Over 100 market patrons rallied on March 23 during the second-to-last meeting of the market to protest the market’s closure and gather support for their cause.

“They wanted us to keep the market here because the market belongs here,” market manager Donovan Marshall said.

Maryellen Martinez, a berry-stand owner in the Westwood Farmers’ Market since its opening, asked people to sign a petition in support of the market while calling out, “Save the Farmers’ Market!”

The Los Angeles Fire Department determined the market to be unsafe during the upcoming construction for Palazzo Westwood, a mixed-use complex with apartments and retail spaces.

Headed by Casden Properties, construction has been ongoing since 2004, and the city has revoked the permit that previously allowed the market to use the street, which was valid until June 2007.

“The closure is strictly for safety reasons. There’s going to be a lot of movement and vehicles, and the last thing we need is to have someone get hurt,” said Manny Hernandez, the officer in charge of the fire department order.

Hernandez said the fire department was following Fire Code Section 57.03.011, which calls for the relocation or suspension of a permit whenever necessary to ensure the safety of life and property.

He said that having heavy construction near a large gathering of people such as the market would put many at risk, especially with the underground excavation that is now occurring.

While he agreed with the necessity of maintaining public safety and health, Shapiro said Casden was building Palazzo Westwood on the condition of keeping the area open for pedestrians.

Shapiro said that Casden had blocked off the construction site from the public, effectively separating the construction from crowds of people that pass it.

“If it’s safe for the general public to walk by, it’s safe for the market,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro said that even with the market not there, many people still pass by the area, which makes the situation no different than if the market were allowed to remain.

Michael Sohwenn, a honey merchant who has attended the Westwood Farmers’ Market since its creation, said though he will still rely on other markets, Westwood has been his most successful one.

Susan Lee, a bonsai-tree vendor, said that she would be willing to go wherever the market moves, assuming that it finds a new location.