Alcohol sales may be coming to Iowa City farmers market

Iowa City Farmers Market shoppers would be able to sample and buy locally produced alcohol under a proposal before the City Council.

That's one of a few changes that are being considered for the upcoming season. Others include expanding the market onto Washington Street, offering free parking on Saturdays and tweaking the Wednesday night hours.

The council will vote on the alcohol and expansion recommendations Tuesday night.

The recommendations follow a survey last fall that received nearly 700 responses. Parks and Recreation Department staff and the Parks and Recreation Commission approved of the changes.

If OK'd by the council, vendors would be able to sell bottles of wine and beer at the market, which runs Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings from May 1 to Oct. 30 at the Chauncey Swan parking ramp just east of downtown.

Only Iowa vendors who make the alcohol themselves would be allowed, said Mike Moran, the city's director of parks and recreation.

“It wouldn't be like ... Jim Beam pulling up,” he said.

Also, customers would be limited to sampling the alcohol and probably would have to do so at the booths selling it. That is, they wouldn't be allowed to drink while walking around, Moran said.

The market will stay primarily under the ramp, but staff would like to close the 400 block of Washington Street to vehicular traffic and allow stalls on the street on Saturday mornings.

Last spring, the city created a bit of an uproar by proposing to move the market downtown once a month. Many vendors spoke against that plan, saying it would leave them exposed to bad weather.

Moran said no existing vendors would be forced onto the street spaces, but they would allow more vendors to join the market. The farmers market has 88 vendors, with about 30 more on the waiting list.

Other proposals include offering free parking during the Saturday markets in the Chauncey Swan ramp and the Recreation Center parking lots, and changing the Wednesday market hours from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to 5 to 7 p.m.