Collegedale officials on Thursday kicked off work on a farmers market that they hope will rival the trendy Chattanooga Market near Finley Stadium downtown.
A vacant tract located next to City Hall will hold a series of circular, open-air buildings and include 56,000 square feet of farmers market structures, said David Barto, executive director of the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation.The farmers market facilities are slated for completion in December and mark the first phase of a new development dubbed The Commons.
The 8-acre parcel is to eventually include a community center, a stage, a 15,000-square-foot event hall and potentially library space, Barto said. The Commons is envisioned to serve as a central hub for Collegedale, he said.
The Chattanooga Market's operators are to run the Collegedale farmers market, the foundation official said.
"The Chattanooga Market is crushed by its own success," Barto told about 75 people who turned out at a groundbreaking ceremony. "It needs to expand."
A temporary market will start May 4 and operate on Wednesday and Saturday nights, he said. The market will allow people to purchase local produce, baked goods, artwork and crafts.
Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said people have been working on the vision for The Commons for about five years.
"What you're going to have at the end of the day is something that will be the envy of most municipalities in this county," he said.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., told the group that "the past in Collegedale has been incredible and the future is going to be even brighter."
More than $1.2 million has been raised so far for the project's first phase, according to the foundation spearheading The Commons. The goal for phase one is $3.7 million.
Barto said officials also hope to garner about $300,000 in county money, and they also will seek federal funds for other phases.
Once constructed, the open-air market will hold an estimated 90 vendors from the region. Barto said the Collegedale site is closer for some vendors from Cleveland, Tenn., and Ringgold, Ga., than going to downtown Chattanooga.
The temporary market is slated to start with up to 25 vendors.
Clint Dean, executive vice president of builder EMJ Corp., said the Hefferlin + Kronenberg designed structure will hold a lot of natural wood and materials. He said construction for the entire project is expected to be done over several years.
Jill Howe, the foundation's chairwoman, said The Commons is a realization of a dream, adding that it will serve as "a central gathering place for our citizens and visitors from all over the region."
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.