Business

Greenport Farmers Market has eye on new spot

JULIE LANE FILE PHOTO | Greenport Farmers Market organizer Lara McNeil serves soup on Oct. 15, when the market closed for the season. Some village merchants want the market to relocate.

The Greenport Farmers Market is hoping to set up in a South Street parking lot this season, village officials announced Monday.

In a letter addressed to the Village Board, farmers market organizers said they would like to move their location to a municipal lot west of the IGA Supermarket.

The market’s previous location on Adams Street drew criticism from some village merchants last year. Some described the market as unfair competition and suspected its vendors were cutting into their business. And some said allowing the market to use public space, which means it pays no rent or property taxes, gives the business an unfair advantage. Other local business owners said the market caused traffic and parking problems.

Mayor David Nyce said the Village Board will discuss the market’s public assembly permit at its next work session on Feb. 21.

Read more from this week’s Village Board meeting in Thursday’s paper.