SHORELINE FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION

Site Proposal Shoreline Farmers Market

Maximilian Dixon – Executive Director

4/11/2011

Summary

Shoreline lacks a farmers’ market. There are three important development projects currently in

the works in Shoreline that make this an opportune time to incorporate one. These projects include

Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Project, the Town Center Subarea Plan, and the Park at Town Center

project. The main consistent theme between them is the creation of a Town Center along Aurora,

between N 175th and 185th streets, which also happens to be the proposed site location for the

Shoreline farmers’ market (Figure 5).

Farmers’ markets are key components of a healthy community, society, economy and

environment. The infrastructure and site built for the farmers’ market will also be used for hosting

countless other events and festivities, such as Celebrate Shoreline. All of this generated activity and

commerce will help anchor and shape the surrounding area into a thriving city center for Shoreline.

This will draw people together from all of the neighborhoods as well as the surrounding areas.

This site is ideal due to its high visibility, central location, proximity to public transportation

lines, the Interurban trail and I-5, walkability, distance from other farmers’ markets, low cost and

ownership by government entities. All that is needed is for the City of Shoreline to include in the Park

at Town Center Master Plan the necessary infrastructure. This includes: restroom facilities, ramps or

surfaces flush with the street to accommodate handicap access as well as vendor loading and

unloading, appropriate hard surface area to accommodate 50 10’x10’ stalls with a 10’ wide path

between the stall rows, power outlets at both the north and south ends of the market infrastructure,

running water facilities, adequate trash cans, safety barriers between the market and Aurora Ave N

and angled parking along Midvale Ave N.

There are two proposed interim sites. One is located within close proximity of the permanent

site location (Figure 7). The other is located at the north end of the park, near N 185th street (Figure 8.)

Contents

Summary

What, Where, and Why 1

History of Shoreline 2

Existing Site Conditions 3

Information Sources 3

Methodology and Analysis 4

Findings 7

Recommendations 8

Interim Site Locations 9

References and Sources 10

Appendix 11

[1]

What, Where, and Why

Shoreline lacks a farmers’ market. There are three important development projects currently in

the works in Shoreline that make this an opportune time to incorporate one. These projects include

Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Project, the Town Center Subarea Plan, and the Park at Town Center

project. The main consistent theme between them is the creation of a Town Center along Aurora,

between N 175th and 185th streets. The proposed site for the farmers’ market is located within this very

Town Center, in the park between Aurora Ave N, Midvale Ave N. and N 178th street (Figure 5).

Farmers’ markets are key components of a healthy community, society, economy and

environment. They support and promote local, organic, and sustainable farming. Farmers’ markets

provide a direct marketing channel for local farmers. This allows them to keep roughly 80 cents from

every dollar spent on their food vs. 20 cents in other retail outlets. Farmer’s market sales in

Washington State increased 45% from 2006 to 2007, to total $55 million. “Farmers’ markets also

attract additional spending at neighboring businesses and attract new small businesses and jobs as

well, creating a more resilient and vibrant local economy” (1). The infrastructure and site built for the

farmers’ market will also be used for hosting countless other events and festivities, such as Celebrate

Shoreline. All of this generated activity and commerce will help anchor and shape the surrounding area

into a thriving city center for Shoreline. This will draw people together from all of the neighborhoods.

Farmers’ markets are also vital sources of fresh, nutritious food for low income families and

seniors who often suffer due to very limited access to these kinds of food. “In 2008, approximately

$1.4 million in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) vouchers, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition (SFMNP)

vouchers, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Food Program (SNAP) were redeemed at farmers’

markets in Washington” (1). Thousands of pounds of fresh, unsold produce are also donated to Local

[2]

food banks, soup kitchens and shelters each year (1). All of this supports the necessity for developing a

farmers’ market in Shoreline.

History of Shoreline

Shoreline didn’t start being developed until the early 1900’s when access was improved. The

Seattle-Everett Interurban Rail line was built in 1906 and the North Trunk Road was paved with bricks

in 1913. Commercial centers formed around the Interurban Rail stops at N 175th and Aurora and N

185th and Aurora (this is the exact area proposed for the farmers’ market site). “By the late 1930’s,

commercial development concentrated along Aurora which saw steadily increasing use as part of the

region’s primary north-south travel route – U.S. Highway 99” (2). In 1939 the Interurban was closed

and traffic on 99 increased significantly. In the late 1940’s people began to see Shoreline as a unified

region, instead of just stops along 99. The name “Shoreline” was coined by a student. It describes the

community that goes from “city line (Seattle) to county line (King/Snohomish) and from the shore of

Puget Sound to the shore of Lake Washington.” Shoreline officially became a city in 1995 when it

incorporated. The total population is approximately 55,000 (2).

Around 2000 Shoreline began the Aurora Corridor Project, which is the redevelopment of the

three miles of Aurora Avenue N (State Route 99) that runs through Shoreline. In 2007 the City

completed the first mile (N 145th to N 165th Streets). This project is widening Aurora and its sidewalks,

revitalizing the Interurban Trail, as well as improving business access, transit lanes, lighting, and a

whole host of other things. “These changes will help promote economic development and

reinvestment, and improve vehicular and pedestrian safety, traffic flow, transit speed and reliability,

corridor aesthetics, and environmental quality” (2).

[3]

Existing Site Conditions

There are two key projects happening in Shoreline. One is the Park at Town Center. The idea is

to “create a signature celebratory park space for the City of Shoreline” that would “feature a major

gathering space for civic events” to “celebrate the new Shoreline Town Center” (2). The park is a long,

thin parcel of land between Aurora Ave N and Midvale Ave N, and N 175th and 185th streets. It consists

of the Interurban trail, grass, utility poles and a smattering of young trees. There are no public facilities,

such as restrooms and water. This combination of property is owned by Seattle City Light and the City

of Shoreline. The improvement project is currently in the public comment and design phase, which

presents the perfect opportunity to incorporate infrastructure for a farmers’ market (an ongoing “civic

event”) into the master plan.

The other key project is the Town Center Subarea Plan. “In April 2009, the City Council adopted

a Citywide Vision that identifies the lands along Aurora Avenue N between N 175th and 185th Streets as

the core of an emerging Town Center” (2). The newly built City Hall is located within this area, as well

as the revitalized Interurban Trail. The idea is to develop this “core” area as the center of Shoreline in

regards to business, government, and community events. An emphasis will be on zoning for mixed-use

growth and improved walkability, transportation flow and neighborhood connectivity.

Information Sources

For this proposal I used data and information from three main sources. The first source was the

Cascade Harvest Coalition, including their web site. They provided the Marketing Research and

Strategy manual. The second source was the City of Shoreline. This included the following: City of

Shoreline web site, the Park at Town Center public workshop, the Transportation Master Plan, a

[4]

Celebration Space Roundtable Summary and a meeting with Dan Eernissee, Economic Development

Manager of the City of Shoreline. The third source was the Washington State Farmers Market

Association, which included their web site. Two additional sources of information were Google Earth

and the MapQuest web site. I also personally visited the proposed site location to evaluate it and make

observations.

Methodology and Analysis

The first step with finding the best location for a farmers’ market in Shoreline was to do

research on what a successful farmers’ market location needed. While searching online I came across

the Cascade Harvest Coalition web site. One of their key programs is Marketing Research and

Strategies for Puget Sound Farmers’ Markets. After contacting them I was directed to their “Marketing

Research and Strategy for Growing Sales Opportunities at Puget Sound Farmers Markets” manual. It

listed the top requirements for a successful farmers’ market location. I added one more requirement

to the list that was not in the manual, proximity to other farmers’ markets.

Here is the list:

1. Visibility. Can people see the farmers’ market from a distance?

2. Public transportation. Are there bus or train stops near?

3. Highway access. Is it easy for farmers to get to?

4. Centralized location. Is there business and/or other community activity around the market site?

5. Proximity to other farmers’ markets. Is this site far enough away from other markets?

6. Ownership. Who owns the space?

7. Cost. Is it expensive to use the space?

8. Customer accessibility. Is the market easy for customers to get to, and get in and out of?

9. Parking. Is there plenty of parking nearby?

[5]

10. Farmer and truck accessibility. Is there enough space for trucks to get in and out, turn around

and park?

11. Is there enough space for farmers to set up their displays?

12. Is the site accessible to handicapped people?

13. Bathrooms and telephones. Are there public facilities?

14. Running water. Is water available to wash and cool produce?

15. Shade/shelter. Is there any protection from the weather?

I started with the first three requirements: visibility, public transportation, and highway access.

This means being clearly seen from a reasonable distance by the most amount of people, as well being

close to public transit stops and freeway access. The obvious choice was a site located next to the

busiest road in Shoreline that also had major bus lines and stops and walkable accessibility. In order to

find areas matching these I searched for reliable data on Shoreline traffic flows, bus lines, bicycle

routes, freeway proximity and where the Interurban trail is located. From the City of Shoreline web site

I was able to find the Transportation Master Plan. Contained within it are the City of Shoreline Traffic

Flow Map (Figure 1), the Existing Transit Stop Coverage Areas Map (Figure 2), and the Major Bicycle

Corridors Map (Figure 3). Both Figure 2 and 3 were modified slightly by me using Microsoft Paint to

add the Shoreline Farmers Market location to them.

With Figure 1, I was able to narrow down the site location to three areas, along Aurora Ave N.,

N 145th Street (East of Aurora Ave N.), and Lake Ballinger Way (East of Aurora Ave N.). They received

the heaviest flows of traffic in Shoreline. With Figure 2, I was able to further narrow it down to two

areas. Lake Ballinger Way was eliminated due to a lack of bus lines and stops. With Figure 3, I was able

to narrow it down to one area. N 145th Street was eliminated due to both a lack of bicycle routes and

lack of proximity to the Interurban trail. This left only one area, along Aurora Ave N.

[6]

The fourth requirement is a centralized location. This means being in the heart of the city. I

looked at a map of Shoreline and picked an area along Aurora Ave. N roughly in the middle. Since

Shoreline spans between N 145th street and N 205th street (Lake Ballinger Way), I chose N 165th to N

185th streets. This would give me a wide enough area to work with and still be centrally located.

In order to further narrow down the site location I again went to the City of Shoreline web site

to find information on any current development projects and to locate where the Town Center was. I

found out that there are three important development projects currently in the works in Shoreline.

These projects are: Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Project, the Town Center Subarea Plan, and the Park at

Town Center project. All of these projects are focused on the area along Aurora Ave. N, between N

165th and N 185th streets. It also turned out that the first major commercial centers formed within this

area and the new City Hall building is located nearby on N 175th street.

The fifth requirement is proximity to other farmer’s markets. For this information I searched

the Washington State Farmers Market Association web site. They have a map of all the farmer’s

market locations within Washington State. I used it to locate the ones near the Shoreline Town Center.

I have provided a map that I created using an existing Google map (Figure 4). The closest markets are:

Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle Meadowbrook, and Seattle Phinney. I then

used MapQuest to figure out exactly how far each of these farmers’ markets was from the Town

Center at Aurora Ave. N and N 175th street. The closest one was Mountlake Terrace at a distance of

approximately 3.5 miles.

Distances from proposed site of Shoreline farmers’ market:

1. Mountlake Terrace – 3.41 miles.

2. Lake Forest Park – between 3.94 and 5.5 miles depending on which route you traveled.

3. Edmonds – between 4.8 and 5.27 miles depending on which route you traveled.

4. Seattle Phinney – between 5.68 and 5.94 miles depending on which route you traveled.

[7]

5. Seattle Meadowbrook – 6.28 miles.

Requirements six and seven are property ownership and cost. The site would need to be

located in an area where the property owner(s) would give permission for one to be held and be

available at a low cost. After reading about the City projects it became obvious that the Park at Town

Center project was ideal. Not only was the City in the process of revitalizing the park, but also they

could easily give permission to hold the farmer’s market within the park at low or no cost. Also a

farmers’ market meets all of Seattle City Light’s requirements for a park revitalization project that were

mentioned at the Park at Town Center Public Workshop.

Requirements eight through fifteen could only be assessed by actually visiting the Park at Town

Center. Customer accessibility is good. Parking appears to be adequate along Midvale Ave N. as well as

at nearby City Hall. The grass covered ground is level, which is ideal for putting down pavers or other

material that will act as the hard surface for the site. Access to the site is easy and available along

Midvale Ave N. and possibly Aurora. There is enough space to have a 20’ Fire lane that goes between

both rows of booths. Farmer and truck accessibility is good. The space is adequate enough for farmers

to put up their displays. The site is also handicap accessible. All that was lacking are requirements

thirteen through fifteen. There are currently no public facilities. There is no running water. And there is

no shade or shelter. These will have to be included within the revitalization project of the Park at Town

Center.

Findings

The proposed site location is the only location within Shoreline that meets and or has the

potential to meet all of the top requirements for a successful farmers’ market. All that is currently

[8]

missing are requirements thirteen through fifteen. These need to be developed as part of the

infrastructure that will be included within the Park at Town Center project. Having a farmers’ market

within the park also fits the City of Shoreline and Seattle City Light’s requirements and vision for a park

revitalization project. The infrastructure for the farmers’ market will support other festivals, markets,

celebrations, and other events. This fits the City of Shoreline’s vision for the Town Center Subarea Plan.

It will draw people in from the surrounding neighborhoods to interact, shop, and participate in local

activities. A farmers’ market has the potential to help boost foot traffic, local brand recognition, and

bring more customers to local businesses. I have included a map that I created, using Google Earth and

Microsoft Paint, of the site location in the appendix (Figure 5).

Although the data is as current as I could find and I did my best to verify information, there is

definitely room for error. The City of Shoreline Transportation Master Plan is six years old so the data

needs to be updated. MapQuest may not be completely accurate depending on how they calculate

distances and address locations. The addresses for the farmers’ markets that I got from the

Washington State Farmers Market Association web site may not be completely correct. There may be

errors within the City of Shoreline project and history information pages from their web site. The top

requirements for a successful farmers’ market location as stated by the Cascade Harvest Coalition may

be faulty and not apply in each and every situation. And finally, I may have made mistakes regarding

my observations when visiting the site location.

Recommendations

Implement the necessary infrastructure for a farmers’ market within the Park at Town Center

Master Plan. This includes: restroom facilities, ramps or surfaces flush with the street to accommodate

handicap access as well as vendor loading and unloading, appropriate hard surface area to

[9]

accommodate 50 10’x10’ stalls with a 10’ wide walkway between the stall rows and along the north

and south ends, power outlets at both the north and south ends of the market infrastructure, running

water facilities, adequate trash cans, safety barriers along Aurora Ave N and angled parking along

Midvale Ave N. As a historic touch, the nine pallets of salvaged red brick could be inserted into the

walkways in artistic designs.

The infrastructure should be located between the City of Shoreline parcel and Midvale Ave N.

This matches up nicely with most of the design scheme titled Shoreline on the Move, that was

introduced by the Berger Group at the March 9th Park at Town Center Public Workshop (Figure 6).

There is one major exception. We do not advocate moving the Interurban Trail. That would be far too

expensive and is unnecessary.

Interim Site Locations

Creating the Park at Town Center Master Plan will take time. Building the necessary

infrastructure for the event space will take even longer. Included in the index are two options for

interim Shoreline Farmers’ Market site locations within the park. The first is located on either side of

the Interurban Trail, near the proposed permanent site (Figure 7). It would use the Interurban Trail as

the access walkway between the market stalls. Restroom facilities would be accessible at City Hall. We

could also provide portable water stations. The second is located at the north end of the park, within

the west side of the Starbucks and John L. Scott business complex parking lot (Figure 8). Restroom and

water facilities would be accessible at the businesses within the complex. There is however limited

space at this site for market stalls (15-20 maximum).

[10]

References and Sources

1. Cascade Harvest Coalition

http://www.cascadeharvest.org/

2. City of Shoreline

http://www.shorelinewa.gov/

3. Washington State Farmers Market Association

http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com/

4. MapQuest

http://www.mapquest.com/

5. City of Shoreline. Creating a great celebration space in Shoreline – Roundtable Summary. 2010.

6. Meeting with Dan Eernissee, Economic Development Manager of the City of Shoreline

7. Park at Town Center Public Workshops, January 25th and March 9th 2011.

8. Google Earth

9. City of Shoreline. Transportation Master Plan. 2005.

10. Personal visit to site location

11. Cascade Harvest Coalition. Marketing Research and Strategy for Growing Sales Opportunities at

Puget Sound Farmers Markets. 2008.

[11]

Appendix

Figure 1 – City of Shoreline Traffic Flow Map 2009.

[12]

Figure 2 – Existing Transit Stop Coverage Areas.

[13]

Figure 3 – Major Bicycle Corridors.

[14]

Figure 4 – Farmers’ Market Proximity Map.

[15]

Figure 5 – Map of Shoreline Farmers’ Market Site Location.

[16]

Figure 6 – Shoreline on the Move.

[17]

Figure 7 – Shoreline Farmers’ Market Interim Site Location 1.

[18]

Figure 8 – Shoreline Farmers’ Market Interim Site Location 2.