The Old Farmer's Market on Burnet Road
This evening I attended a meeting regarding the plans for the Old Farmer's Market on Burnet. The neighborhoods were given some input:
The first presenter was Paz P. Dhody: A charming man with a huge rock collection and no other goal than to beautify the place. He wants an oasis where families can hang, local merchants can utilize the buildings that are already there,dig up the concrete and put in grass. He feels there is ample parking already and the place will get a cosmetic lift (per the artist renderings) a farmer's market was included in the plan. He wants a place for local artist and outdoor eateries. This plan was tres retro Austin, green, unique, generous and sincere.
Southwest Strategies: These guys began quite benign but quickly started talking three story parking garages and what the market dictated. They said if the market wants condo's we put down condos, commercial then we put down commercial. They kept talking about how well they preserve historical buildings but the buildings at the Farmer's Market are not historical (per the city's criteria). They talked about packing as much as they could into the area. Their big notch is Penn Field. Blehk! and they were actually proud of their buildings housing Clear Channel Radio, BLEHKx10!
Colina West: These guys kept talking about how wonderful their San Jose Hotel project came out. They stated that Ruta Maya and Austinuts and a few other local businesses showed an interest in the area. Sounds good but then they started talking about apartments. The area is pretty small when you start talking apartments and condos with commercial use. Maybe they can do that but it looks awfully small for both. What made me laugh was their talk of honoring the Old Farmer's Market with an outdoor living room type of space. I mean, why not honor the Old Farmer's Market with a small corner dedicated to remaining a farmer's market. What was said was the Triangle Park area in Hyde Park was much too dense and that this area would not be quite as dense. This was good to hear.
For the most part the area seems rather small but I'm no developer or architect so what do I know. I obviously preferred Dhody's sincere plan of beautifying the area and creating an area where people can hang. He didn't seem too concerned with making a buck out of the whole deal, and that seemed really revolutionary in these times. Southwest Strategies appeared tres desperate following the mild mannered Dhody and you could actually see the dollar signs in their eyes as they salivated through their presentation. I saw heads shake back and forth. The Colina West guys were easily flustered by questions but if they go with one of these commercial minded guys I'd rather it be Colina West than Southwest Strategies. It was interesting to see all this but it's all in good faith. None of the developers are legally tied to the ideas presented. Yikes! remember The Triangle and to this day they claim they didn't get what was promised.
Farmers Market founded in 1988
Owner: Hill Rylander
About the owner: Rylander was born in Austin Texas when it was still Waterloo. He is sixth generation Texan. Great great great gramps was the Adjutant General of the Republic of Texas. UT Ex student.
Products and Services: Austin's Historic Farmers' Market provides local and Texas growers to sell their goods directly to the consumers. The Market is open year round. The selection of fruits, vegetables, and plants is seasonal, of course. There are also several restaurants that call the Market home. The Market is also available as a venue for outdoor festivals and parties.
History: The modern farmers' market era in Austin began in 1988 when Texas grocery-store chain scion C. Hill Rylander secured a multi year lease on the abandoned Travis County wagon yard property at 6701 Burnet Rd. After some refurbishment, Rylander christened the facility the Austin-Travis County Farmers' Market. On the face of it, the wagon yard is a dream-come-true market location: plenty of off-street parking, covered sheds for stalls, public restrooms, access to water and electricity, several existing buildings for restaurants and shops, a high-traffic area. The market flourished in its early years, charging a $10 stall fee to more than 50 farmers a year. It was the original home of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest and was twice recognized as one of the 10 best markets in America, once by USA Today and again by Cooking Light magazine. However, a couple of bad drought seasons exacerbated the damage done a drawn-out lawsuit between the Republican Rylander and the Democratic County Commissioners Court, spelling an end to the market's heyday. Once the lengthy lawsuit was settled in Rylander's favor, the market became known as Austin's Historic Farmers' Market and now hosts an annual chile-roasting festival in late summer and a giant pumpkin sale every fall. In October, 2005, The Market was host to the First Annual Texas Barbeque Festival. Thousands came to sample the state's best BBQ and listen to live music. The facility is currently home to the Brentwood Tavern, Hill Country Nursery & Landscaping, Dog Almighty restaurant, La Femme Culinaire commercial catering kitchen and numerous seasonal farmers. Rylander is enthusiastic about the future, reporting that he has several farmers signed up for the first weekend in May plus some new arts-and-crafts vendors to entice customers to the Burnet Road market. "We're here to stay," he told me this week, "and we'd like folks who haven't been out here in a while to come check us out again."
The first presenter was Paz P. Dhody: A charming man with a huge rock collection and no other goal than to beautify the place. He wants an oasis where families can hang, local merchants can utilize the buildings that are already there,dig up the concrete and put in grass. He feels there is ample parking already and the place will get a cosmetic lift (per the artist renderings) a farmer's market was included in the plan. He wants a place for local artist and outdoor eateries. This plan was tres retro Austin, green, unique, generous and sincere.
Southwest Strategies: These guys began quite benign but quickly started talking three story parking garages and what the market dictated. They said if the market wants condo's we put down condos, commercial then we put down commercial. They kept talking about how well they preserve historical buildings but the buildings at the Farmer's Market are not historical (per the city's criteria). They talked about packing as much as they could into the area. Their big notch is Penn Field. Blehk! and they were actually proud of their buildings housing Clear Channel Radio, BLEHKx10!
Colina West: These guys kept talking about how wonderful their San Jose Hotel project came out. They stated that Ruta Maya and Austinuts and a few other local businesses showed an interest in the area. Sounds good but then they started talking about apartments. The area is pretty small when you start talking apartments and condos with commercial use. Maybe they can do that but it looks awfully small for both. What made me laugh was their talk of honoring the Old Farmer's Market with an outdoor living room type of space. I mean, why not honor the Old Farmer's Market with a small corner dedicated to remaining a farmer's market. What was said was the Triangle Park area in Hyde Park was much too dense and that this area would not be quite as dense. This was good to hear.
For the most part the area seems rather small but I'm no developer or architect so what do I know. I obviously preferred Dhody's sincere plan of beautifying the area and creating an area where people can hang. He didn't seem too concerned with making a buck out of the whole deal, and that seemed really revolutionary in these times. Southwest Strategies appeared tres desperate following the mild mannered Dhody and you could actually see the dollar signs in their eyes as they salivated through their presentation. I saw heads shake back and forth. The Colina West guys were easily flustered by questions but if they go with one of these commercial minded guys I'd rather it be Colina West than Southwest Strategies. It was interesting to see all this but it's all in good faith. None of the developers are legally tied to the ideas presented. Yikes! remember The Triangle and to this day they claim they didn't get what was promised.
Farmers Market founded in 1988
Owner: Hill Rylander
About the owner: Rylander was born in Austin Texas when it was still Waterloo. He is sixth generation Texan. Great great great gramps was the Adjutant General of the Republic of Texas. UT Ex student.
Products and Services: Austin's Historic Farmers' Market provides local and Texas growers to sell their goods directly to the consumers. The Market is open year round. The selection of fruits, vegetables, and plants is seasonal, of course. There are also several restaurants that call the Market home. The Market is also available as a venue for outdoor festivals and parties.
History: The modern farmers' market era in Austin began in 1988 when Texas grocery-store chain scion C. Hill Rylander secured a multi year lease on the abandoned Travis County wagon yard property at 6701 Burnet Rd. After some refurbishment, Rylander christened the facility the Austin-Travis County Farmers' Market. On the face of it, the wagon yard is a dream-come-true market location: plenty of off-street parking, covered sheds for stalls, public restrooms, access to water and electricity, several existing buildings for restaurants and shops, a high-traffic area. The market flourished in its early years, charging a $10 stall fee to more than 50 farmers a year. It was the original home of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest and was twice recognized as one of the 10 best markets in America, once by USA Today and again by Cooking Light magazine. However, a couple of bad drought seasons exacerbated the damage done a drawn-out lawsuit between the Republican Rylander and the Democratic County Commissioners Court, spelling an end to the market's heyday. Once the lengthy lawsuit was settled in Rylander's favor, the market became known as Austin's Historic Farmers' Market and now hosts an annual chile-roasting festival in late summer and a giant pumpkin sale every fall. In October, 2005, The Market was host to the First Annual Texas Barbeque Festival. Thousands came to sample the state's best BBQ and listen to live music. The facility is currently home to the Brentwood Tavern, Hill Country Nursery & Landscaping, Dog Almighty restaurant, La Femme Culinaire commercial catering kitchen and numerous seasonal farmers. Rylander is enthusiastic about the future, reporting that he has several farmers signed up for the first weekend in May plus some new arts-and-crafts vendors to entice customers to the Burnet Road market. "We're here to stay," he told me this week, "and we'd like folks who haven't been out here in a while to come check us out again."
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