The Ambleside Artisan Farmers’ Market is staying planted in Ambleside – at least for now.
A divided District of West Vancouver council quashed a proposal Monday night that would have seen the May-to-October market moved, temporarily, to the north plaza at the West Vancouver Community Centre.
The current location on the 1500 block of Bellevue was creating conflicts with the nearby business community, residents of a condo building overlooking the site as well as road cyclists whose Sunday rides run through Ambleside.
District staff and the market’s managers looked at a number of other locations that might work until, eventually, the market can have a more permanent home in Ambleside as the district completes work on its waterfront plan. That could take several years, though. District staff’s top suggestion that would meet the market’s needs for space, amenities, parking and access, was the community centre plaza, although the market’s management and customers weren’t eager to see it moved by the district for the fourth time since its founding in 2005.
“Our preference, of course, is to stay in the Ambleside area, especially given our name,” said market board member Bernie Glemas.
Other potential locations included Ambleside Park, the 1300 block of Argyle Avenue, and the old Lawson Creek Studios location at 18th Street. But frequency of the moves was creating almost as much a challenge as the location, added market board member Inga Liimatta.
“Every move has been a hardship; it’s taken four to six months to recover,” she said.
Forcing the market to move had the support of the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association, whose members felt the Sunday markets undermined bricks and mortar stores’ offerings and cut off already scarce parking spaces. But, the majority on council felt moving the market would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Coun. Craig Cameron said it would send the wrong message as council is trying to create a destination identity for Ambleside.
“Once again we’re listening to naysayers. We’re listening to NIMBYs – ‘We support the market, just nowhere near us,’” he said.
Parking problems would surely follow in the area surrounding the community centre, Coun. Christine Cassidy added. “You’re not going be ambling up from Ambleside. You’re not. You’re going to be driving there.”
Mayor Mike Smith agreed and said businesses on Bellevue could adapt. “We are trying to drive energy into Ambleside and the farmers’ market is one of the few things that draws people in,” he said. “And frankly, I can’t buy this argument that the existing stores don’t benefit from that traffic. In business, the one thing you want is people, and that market draws people in.”
Only Couns. Mary-Ann Booth and Nora Gambioli supported the move. “Having it in our business core and waterfront is a way to increase the vitality of the area, no question; however, I only support increasing the vitality if it’s consistent with supporting our existing taxpaying businesses,” Booth said.
The market’s organizers will meet with district staff and the business community this week to start re-evaluating locations “to make it all work in the best place possible for the community and for the market, and for the residents and the businesses,” Glemas said, following the meeting.
