Vision of the NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids

Information out today from the NewBo City Market board provides more details about the proposed year-round farmers market for New Bohemia in Cedar Rapids.

Here is what Sarah Ordover, president of the group's board sent today, explaining components of the market:

The NewBo City Market infrastructure will consist of the following elements:

-  NewBo Market Hall:  The Market Hall is envisaged as two 10,000 square foot floors.  The main floor consists of 6,000 square feet of selling space and 4,000 square feet in a seating/gathering/event area, a demonstration kitchen, restrooms, storage, etc.  Half of the selling space will be used for permanent vendor stalls such as meat counters, bakeries, prepared foods, and others requiring refrigeration and food preparation facilities.  The remaining Market Hall ground floor will be used for temporary and seasonal vendors, changing from season to season.  The temporary space also can be used for private events, concerts and other group activities.  The second floor will house the New Bohemia Arts and Crafts Cooperative, Market offices, and meeting space.

- The NewBo Market Store:  Preserving and restoring the Day Co building at the corner of 11

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Avenue and 3

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Street, the NewBo Market Store is a 3600 square foot building that will house a grocery store featuring fresh and local foods from our vendors, augmented with grocery items now found at many specialized healthy supermarkets.  The Cedar Rapids City Market board will find a retailer experienced in running a grocery to manage the NewBo Market Store.

- Market Yard: An outdoor area behind the store and hall will be the space that vendors will use from May to October for outdoor markets.  The space is designed to allow vendors to pull in with their trucks and sell off the back of their vehicles. Forty four vendors can be accommodated in the Market Yard.

- Market Square:  Abutting the corner of 12

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Avenue and 3

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Street is the Market Square, the central meeting place and congregating area for visitors to the NewBo City Market and the New Bohemia arts/entertainment district.  The Market Square will be the home to a playground, concerts, plays, sports functions and other outdoor activities.

- Distribution Center:  Behind the Market Store is the NewBo Distribution Center where the Linn County Low Income Food Cooperative will operate.  The center also will provide cold storage for vendors and may develop into a wholesale distribution site for local food producers.

- The Warehouse: Providing a backdrop to the market and shielding it from the brownfields behind is the Warehouse, the 18,000 metal shed at the back of the NewBo Market site.  The warehouse will be minimally improved with windows, heat, cement flooring and entrances facing the Market Yard.  The warehouse will be used by outdoor vendors when weather is inclement, in winter for events such as “All City Garage Sales” and for privately run activities such as car shows and antique fairs.  Most importantly, the warehouse will provide a giant canvas for artists, providing the wall space for them to hang an ever changing creative landscape helping to foster New Bohemia as the arts district for Cedar Rapids.

These illustrations, by volunteer Russ Fagle, an artist who works in the Cherry Building in New Bohemia, were presented this week to the Cedar Rapids City Council, along with the following information:

 The Cedar Rapids City Market Inc. board unveiled the final site plan, business plan and artist's conception meeting for the NewBo City Market at tonight's Cedar Rapids City Council meeting. The group made a formal request to City Council for the Quality Chef site at the corner of Third Street and 12

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Avenue SE in the NewBo district.

 The City Council and Cedar Rapids City Market, Inc. will work to formalize a Memorandum of Agreement. The NewBo City Market is projected to be a $6 million project, and is requesting $3.0 million in FEMA alternative project funds for capital construction costs. The goal is to have the NewBo City Market open by spring of 2011. The NewBo City Market site plan includes:

• A two-story market hall, market store, cooperative arts and crafts gallery, community kitchen and other community-related spaces.
• Preservation of the historical Day Company corner building for a market store

 Two tenants have agreed to locate in the NewBo City Market.  Linn County Public Health will run a low-income food cooperative from a distribution facility on the property.  The New Bohemia Group will operate an arts and crafts gallery featuring the works of area painters, potters, jewelry makers and other local artisans.

 Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a nonprofit consulting firm that specializes in helping communities organize public markets, developed the NewBo Market site plan. In November of 2009, PPS delivered a Phase 1 report that found a year-round public market could capture 2% of the trade area's sales potential for fresh food, or approximately $2.1 million annually.  Additional revenue will be generated by the sale of prepared food, on-site dining, flea markets and other types of community events.

 PPS also recommended the Quality Chef location citing the size and location of the property and its ability to help transform the emerging New Bohemia neighborhood. They recommended initial operation of the market hall two days a week, expanding in stages based on demand.

 “We are excited to create a forward looking venue for the city that will create jobs and provide a center for healthful living,” said Sarah Ordover, president of Cedar Rapids City Market, Inc.  “The NewBo City Market will be, not just a place for great food, but a fun destination that will appeal to people across all income and socio-economic groups.”

 The NewBo City Market has the potential to be a successful enterprise and iconic attraction within the city, and a significant opportunity to revitalize the downtown and adjacent neighborhoods affected by the 2008 flood.