A well-liked occasion for a lot of within the Sedona space are its farmers markets, which give shoppers with one thing completely different from their native grocery retailer whereas serving to native growers.
The Sedona Group Farmers Market has operated a winter and spring occasion — November by Could — on the Wells Fargo Financial institution property on Sunday mornings since 2012. The market initially operated beneath short-term use permits and has operated beneath a conditional use allow since January 2013. The CUP was initially accepted for 3 years however was subsequently renewed for 5 years. It’s set to run out on Jan. 18, 2021, which is why operator Katrin Themlitz got here earlier than the Sedona Planning and Zoning Fee on Tuesday, Dec. 1, searching for renewal of the CUP — and a bit extra.
The proposed CUP and modifications — which had been accepted by a unanimous vote — embody the next:
■ Enable for year-round operation on the location. The farmers market is at present permitted to function at this location from November by Could. Themlitz at present operates a farmers market through the summer season at Tlaquepaque and intends to proceed operation of that marketplace for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, based mostly on suggestions from distributors, Themlitz needs to have the choice of shifting the farmers market to Wells Fargo year-round if wanted sooner or later.
■ Modify hours of operation. The present situations enable operation from midday till four p.m. Arrange for the market is permitted to start out at 10 a.m. on the times the market happens and clear up shall be completed by 5 p.m. Based mostly on distributors, Themlitz is proposing to maneuver all time frames up by one hour, with market operation from 11 a.m. to three p.m, setup startning at 9 a.m. and clear up accomplished by four p.m.
Group Growth Director Karen Osburn has the authority to approve a fundamental renewal, however as a result of Themlitz is proposing amendments, it requires evaluation by the Planning and Zoning Fee.
Themlitz stated she is planning to proceed the schedule that she’s established over the past 5 years with holding the market at Wells Fargo from winter by Could and shifting it to Tlaquepaque for summer season and fall. She stated each locations are working effectively for the distributors and the property homeowners.
“The explanation we’ve thought of the request for a year-round venue at Wells Fargo is as a result of resulting from COVID, a lot of the scheduling of the distributors in Northern Arizona is up within the air on condition that the Flagstaff farmers market has encountered many challenges this previous summer season,” she stated.
Previously, there have been only a few distributors out there on Sundays in the summertime since most participate on the farmers market in Flagstaff, which is bigger and extra profitable. Themlitz stated that’s why she by no means thought of increasing hers on Sundays previous April. Due to the uncertainty with the market in Flagstaff, she stated these distributors could also be out there subsequent spring relying on the pandemic.
“We want that flexibility if something modifications sooner or later the place we’ve got that possibility as a backup to the currently-established rhythm of winter-summer with these two places,” Themlitz stated. “The year-round request is absolutely coming as a back-up possibility — it’s not one thing that we’re truly planning to institute at the moment. It simply is sensible for us at the moment to have a bit extra flexibility in order that we don’t have to come back again and ask for extra modifications.”
Themlitz stated she and her distributors adhere to COVID- 19 tips, limiting the variety of folks inside the market at any given time, utilizing masks, prohibiting the sampling of products and giving hand sanitizer to everybody coming into the market. Whereas the town has not obtained any code violation complaints over time, parking has been an ongoing one with the adjoining Plaza West. Nonetheless, Themlitz stated she is in talks with representatives from Plaza West.
Source link
