Salt Lake's popular farmers market could soon go year-round. Can it turn Pioneer Park around?

SALT LAKE CITY — What is now Pioneer Park has gone through many revisions since pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley 178 years ago.

Within months, they set aside a fort that would ultimately hold civic meetings, events and dances. The city's first school and general election was located at what was once known as "Old Fort," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall points out.

It went through more transformations after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints transferred the land to the city in 1898, turning it into Pioneer Park. It's held pools, baseball diamonds and monuments.

Yet today, it averages fewer than 170 visits per day, much less than other city parks, largely because of safety concerns and lack of park amenities. About 65% of its entire visitation last year came from the 21 days when the Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market was open.

"As long as it has ever existed, we've needed it — but there has always been complaints," she said. "Which means for as long as it has existed, it's has had a massive potential for positive change."

That's why Salt Lake City is exploring a "bold" new plan that could drastically change the park's future beyond improvements already planned for the area. The Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance, which operates the market, unveiled plans on Thursday for a new building to help the park become a "year-round home" for the farmers market and other events.

The proposed building — preliminarily expected to cost between $20 million to $25 million — still needs additional city approvals. A working group has been formed with the Downtown Alliance and various city departments to plan out the details, including potential financing options, which could be more concrete by the end of the year before any construction timeline is formed, said Dee Brewer, the nonprofit's director.

It comes as Salt Lake City has reached a memorandum of understanding with the business nonprofit to create a new public-private partnership to manage future park operations. The city will still own the park, but the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance will manage activities and help raise funds from downtown businesses for park improvements, per the agreement.

"A future where Pioneer Park is utilized to its full potential is a future where Salt Lakers feel more connected to each other, to the outdoors and to our community," Mendenhall said. "This partnership with the Downtown Alliance builds on decades of success with the Farmers Market and opens the door to that aspiration."

Pioneer Park plans

Thursday's announcement doesn't change an overhaul already planned for the park.

The city still plans to break ground on its Pioneer Park Vision Plan this fall, an $18.4 million project that includes a new playground, plaza, pavilion and ranger station, new pickleball courts and a fenced off-leash dog area and natural habitat section. Earlier this month, the city shared renderings of a new art piece to be installed next year, as well.

A year-round market could be another feature at the park, but the building would also host a mix of public and private events when the market isn't open, Brewer said. The facility would replace its current winter market location at the Gateway, giving the market a stable winter option.

The facility would also add elements like lawn games, cafe seating, a beverage bar and public bathrooms at the facility. The nonprofit's Downtown Ambassador program would help city park rangers in keeping the park secure.

"We see this building as a key to the success of Pioneer Park," said Carly Gillespie, director of the Downtown Farmers Market, adding that it would have glass walls that open and "integrate well" with the park.

While the public-private management concept would be new to Utah's capital city, she also pointed to several partnerships that have worked in other cities to liven up underused public spaces.

However, the building's design and other elements are subject to Salt Lake City Council approval. An exact project cost and timeline could be more concrete by the end of this year, as the working group refines the concept, Brewer said. While it may cost at least $20 million to construct, he believes its use would generate the revenue needed for future operation and maintenance costs.

"We hope next year is a time for what I call 'pre-development' and the philanthropic initiative," he told KSL.com, following a Downtown Alliance event where the proposal was announced. "We do not know yet what those sorts of milestones are to put shovels in the dirt and start construction."

Turning the park around?

Having a year-round market could improve park visitation, but the Downtown Alliance believes it could also help revitalize the neighborhood around it. Over 60% of the park's visitation last year came from farmers market traffic, which draws over 10,000 people every day — and sometimes more on busier weekends.

Those 21 days results in $11 million in annual direct-to-consumer sales for the some 300 vendors who arrive from 16 Utah counties, Brewer reported earlier this year. It's helped make it one of the larger markets in the nation. By adding more market days and events, the organization believe it can turn Pioneer Park into one of the city's more beloved outdoor spaces.

"Pioneer Park has endured a bad reputation for decades. We know we can change the chemistry of the park. We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market," he said.

Mendenhall also floated around the possibility that the market could be held on weekdays instead of Saturdays in the summer and early fall, which could boost visitation and economic figures further.

In the meantime, the seasonal market will to the park on June 7. It will continue on most Saturdays through Oct. 25.

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