Demolition of old Flint Farmers‘ Market starts as city makes plans to redevelop site

FLINT, MI - A contractor has started demolition of the old Flint Farmers' Market off Longway Boulevard, and Flint officials say they are in the market for a partner to redevelop the site.

The city announced plans for the Boulevard Drive property in a news release on Wednesday, Nov. 6, after the demolition, funded by Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, started.

Among the structures being torn down Wednesday was the 14,000 square-foot primary market building.

Uptown has leased the site from the city for $1 per year, under a 20-year agreement that was signed in 2009, according to the announcement from the city, which also said the group's efforts to repurpose the property with its buildings intact were not successful.

The Flint Farmers' Market moved from the area to its current location inside a former Flint Journal printing plant at 300 E. 1st St. in downtown Flint, in 2014.

In 2021, city officials said they were in discussions to sell the old farmers' market site to the Flint Children's Museum but that deal was never consummated.

Wednesday's announcement says the city "envisions a vibrant and dynamic mix of uses" on the 5-acre property, potentially including multifamily housing, entertainment and retail.

Emily Doerr, director of Flint's Community and Business Services Department, said in a message to MLive-The Flint Journal that a request for proposals will be issued to solicit the best future use of the land.

The site is zoned as a "city corridor" and the city's master plan says such areas are envisioned to have amenities such as sidewalks, benches, pedestrian-scale lighting, and landscaping that make it easy to walk along.

"Over time, the development pattern may evolve to include multi-story, mixed-use buildings and development that abuts the street," a description of the zoning says.

Properties with the corridor zoning can be developed for uses including grocery stores, large-format retailers, and mixed-use development like multi-family housing, above ground-floor businesses or offices.

In the months prior to moving downtown in 2014, market officials said they heard various proposals for reusing the site ranging from an aquaponics farm, a bike-powered brewery, or a space for veterans.

The city's news release says buildings on the site have deteriorated and now are a public safety hazard. It said an engineering assessment showed "major structural problems" with buildings that were being razed on Wednesday.

Despite the worn condition of the old market, however, Flint area residents made regular pilgrimages to it for decades.

Before moving to its current location, the market had been located there for more than 70 years. Five years before it closed, the market was named the country's "most loved" farmers' market .

On its last day of operation, according to Flint Journal files, customers lined up at some of the market stands that didn't move to the new location. Visitors took photos of the building and those who worked there to preserve images of the market they grew up with.

The city's announcement said a letter of understanding between it and URC provides for the organization to pay for the demolition and to "work cooperatively to identify and preserve historical elements of the building, including the original steel support joists, for reuse on a future project."

The Flint Farmers' Market website says the market was first established at an open-air site in 1905 at the southeast corner of Beach and Kearsley streets.

By 1912, it had been moved across the Flint River to the west side of Smith Street, and in 1920, it moved to Harrison and Union streets, the current site of the University of Michigan-Flint's Thompson Library.

The city said its lease with URC provided for the group to pay for insurance, repairs, maintenance, and capital improvements to the old farmers' market site.

Tim Herman, president of URC, said in a statement issued by the city that its lease of the property will terminate with the demolition of the structures on the site.

"We look forward to supporting the city of Flint in future redevelopment opportunities as they pursue a new vision for the site's next chapter," Herman's statement says.