By Pat Sherman
SDUN Assistant Editor

The Adams Avenue Farmers’ Market began May 12. The weekly market will be every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A last-minute venue change caused the market to move from Ward Canyon Park at 40th Street adjacent to the Interstate 15 off-ramp to the Rite-Aid parking Lot on Adams Avenue.

Jim Schneider, executive director of the Adams Avenue Business Association, said he was notified at 4:30 p.m. May 11 – the day before the inaugural market – that the association would not be granted access to its intended event location at the park.

“We were at the point where we had so many farmers and vendors ready to go that we really couldn’t pull the plug on it,” Schneider said.

The intended site required a traffic mitigation plan, he said.

“As you’re coming off Interstate 15 there are two lanes,” Schneider said. “We would have needed to close off that left lane that goes into the park. We thought we had done as much as we could, but I guess it was not enough to satisfy Caltrans’ requirements.”

Schneider said his staff was able to strike an eleventh-hour deal with Rite-Aid for temporary usage of its parking lot.

“We got kind of lucky that the manager and district manager were actually there to make the decision,” Schneider said.

The association is inquiring with Rite-Aid’s corporate headquarters to see if an agreement can be struck for longer-term use of the parking lot while the association continues its negotiations with the city and Caltrans.

“We’re taking it day by day, week by week, whatever we can do,” Schneider said.