SALT LAKE CITY — How would you like to enjoy the popular Downtown Farmers Market at Pioneer Park year-round instead of just during the warm summer months?
Moving to an every-weekend-of-the-year schedule for the market is part of a proposal from the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall who have agreed to explore the creation of a public-private partnership for managing Pioneer Park. That partnership would also expand the Farmers Market to a year-round event.
Under the agreement, the Alliance and City staff will work to develop legal structures, funding plans, and an operational framework for managing the park.
According to the Alliance, they hope that the park will eventually have staffed amenities, daily programming, and a multi-purpose public building for community events. The proposed public market building would serve as a year-round home for the beloved weekly Downtown Farmers Market, and clean, attended public restrooms. Revenues generated from private event rentals will fund expanded park programming and operations.
“Our success programming in Pioneer Park is a model for creating a vibrant park every day of the week,” said Dee Brewer, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “Pioneer Park has endured a bad reputation for decades. We know we can change the chemistry of the park. We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market. Pioneer Park is safe, active, and communal on market days. We are ready to build on that success to vitalize the park and the neighborhood.”
FOX 13 News has reported multiple times about the 'bad reputation' that the park has garnered. In 2021, business leaders and the Pioneer Park Coalition claimed the city was having a "safety crisis" in the park.
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“A future where Pioneer Park is utilized to its full potential is a future where Salt Lakers feel more connected to each other, to the outdoors, and to our community,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
The Downtown Alliance also says they would like lawn games, cafe seating, a beverage bar, and staffed restrooms. Those would be in addition to SLC Public Land's planned and funded upgrades for a picnic pavilion, misting stations, and an updated playground.
“This partnership with the Downtown Alliance builds on decades of success with the Farmers Market and opens the door to that aspiration," stated Mayor Mendenhall. "Combined with the Pioneer Park Vision Plan set to break ground this fall, there’s no doubt we’re stepping into a new era for one of our city’s most historic public spaces.”
