Beer garden, food trucks, vendors: Fayetteville moves ahead on international farmers market

An international farmers market that would have a beer garden, food truck area and connect to the Murchison Road corridor is in the works through a collaboration with officials from Cumberland County and Fayetteville.

During a special Fayetteville City Council meeting last week, council members authorized Mayor Mitch Colvin and City Manager Doug Hewett to work with county officials on the Fayetteville-Cumberland County International Farmers Market project.

Officials are looking for the market to be at the intersection of Rowan Street, Murchison Road and Bragg Boulevard, near the new speakeasy bar and north of the Rowan Skatepark.

Michael Gibson, Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation director, told council members that they previously approved a “maker space” for artists to do carpentry, welding and other work in a nearby building that the city made improvements to and leveled the site.

Concepts show that the “maker space” would lead to a trail and multi-use facility like a farmers market where artists could sell their goods, Gibson said.

Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen said officials have been talking about the project for a little over four years. City documents show that the matter was first discussed in January 2017.

“We’re at a great point right now,” Jensen said.

She said grants and American Rescue Plan Act funds are available and could go toward the project.

Commissioner Jimmy Keefe presented the project to county commissioners during their Nov. 9 work session.

Access to healthy food

Asked whether any other locations will be considered, Keefe in the November meeting said the property under consideration is a downtown anchor that connects Murchison Road to downtown.

With no grocery stores in the Murchison Road area, Cumberland County Commission Vicechair Toni Stewart said that she thinks having the farmers market within walking distance of Fayetteville State University is important.

“We need a farmers market in that area,” Stewart said.

Keefe provided fellow commissioners with information that says food deserts — described by the National Institute of Health as neighborhoods and communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods — affect community health, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 80% of the individuals enrolled in the Women, Infant and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance programs purchase food from dollar or convenience stores. Less than 2% of those funds are spent at a farmers market.

He said farmers market vendors would accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Women Infants and Children programs, promote local farmers and highlight diverse cultures.

Furthermore, Keefe said, the market would provide access to healthy food for low-to-moderate-income families.

He said the market would also have educational components like a veteran agriculture program and information on healthy eating habits.

“Just by putting a grocery store in an area that traditionally has an unhealthy population is not going to make them healthy,” he said. “ We have to educate. We have to make sure that they understand. If that were the case, we could put a university in the middle of anywhere then everybody around it would all of a sudden get degrees and be smart.

"It just doesn’t work that way.”

Why an international farmers market?

Keefe said that with 62 different languages spoken in Cumberland County, the concept of having an international farmers market would highlight the area's diversity.

“If you’re looking for Korean kimchi or Indian spices or Greek pastries, we hope that you’d be able to come to our farmers market and get those,” he said.

What the market would include

Keefe said he additionally foresees the market having:

•  Space for agriculture vendors and non-agriculture vendors like artisans, a farmers cooperative.

•  An international vendors area.

•  A street food area.

•  A children's education area.

•  A healthy food preparation area.

•  Splash pads.

• A beer garden.

The property would include:

•  A main hall.

•  A farmers' cooperative area.

•  An incubator kitchen for caterers and bakers who need larger spaces or cooks wanting to get into the restaurant business.

•  An international market area.

•  A food education area.

•  Areas for street vendors and pop-up vendors.

•  An area for entertainment.

•  An outdoor seating area.

Costs and timeline

Keefe said he estimates the overall project could cost between $15 million and $23 million.

Grants to help offset the price are available through the Department of Agriculture, American Rescue Plan Act and Golden Leaf Foundation, he said.

The intent is for the market to be self-sustaining without the need for government subsidies or funding, and to be operated by a contractor, he said.

“I think it would be a dynamic place that the community can come together, again bring that connectivity, this is a city, county partnership. This is that we recognize — that the health in our community can use some work, and we recognize that people want quality-of-life things,” Keefe said.

Keefe said he foresees the project being on a three-year timeline, with local governments submitting grant applications by Dec. 31 this year.

He said he expects Cumberland County and Fayetteville to be the lead on the project, along with partnerships with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, the local visitors center and chamber and the Cool Spring Downtown District.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 901-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville farmers market would have beer garden, food trucks