City Council Approves Albany Farmers Market to Open in May, with One Block of Solano Closed

As the and grocery store projects slowly wend their way through various city and , a thriving new market is set to open in Albany come May. 

, which will be run by the Ecology Center, got final approval Monday night to operate from May through October on the block of Solano Avenue just west of San Pablo Avenue.

Many of the details had been sorted out in the earlier meetings before the Planning & Zoning and Traffic & Safety committees, as well as the Sustainability Committee, but the Albany City Council had to decide whether to approve closure of Solano during market hours and consider a request to waive a use permit fee of roughly $1,800 for the Ecology Center. 

Both decisions happened smoothly and without much ado at the March 21 council meeting.

Beginning in May, Solano will be closed from about 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, with the market open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. through October. 

Officials considered several sites before . 

"We wanted a simple location," said City Planning Manager Jeff Bond. The goals were to avoid truck routes, limit interruptions to public transit and find a spot with a limited impact on driveways.

Opening a farmers market was one goal in the city's Climate Action Plan, along with strengthening the regional food system, Bond said.

Councilwoman Joanne Wile said the market would likely be a great way to bring foot and cyclist traffic to the west side of Solano. 

Other council members said they'd like planners to keep a close eye on traffic congestion and circulation around the market, and make sure to give motorists enough notice that the 1000 block of Solano will be closed. 

Bond said he wasn't too worried about traffic flow.

"We think, the first week or two, it will be a surprise to those driving by," he said. But, as the community gets used to the market, "We're expecting things to go pretty smoothly."

Bond said officials will fine-tune traffic and signage from week to week, and that there will be a public meeting after the market season closes in October to assess the process and discuss larger changes, if any are necessary.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a call at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an e-mail at emilier@patch.com.