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Business & Tech

Hollywood Farmers' Market Permit Extended a Week

Market organizers plan to meet with Councilman Eric Garcetti on Monday to discuss market configurations and a six-month extension of the street closure permit.

The original 90-day extension of the street closure permit for the Hollywood Farmers' Market has been extended an additional week to April 19.

Initially, the extension was set to expire Tuesday. A dispute over the permit between the market and the L.A. Film School involves a parking structure at the corner of Selma and Ivar avenues that the school wants to be able to access on Sundays when the market blocks it off.

The market, which has been held at its current location since 1991, has agreed to look into alternative configurations, but the film school has not acted in good faith, said Pompea Smith, who heads the nonprofit that organizes the market.

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“The school has not been attending meetings and is not committed to studies on joining their rooftop parking structures so cars could still enter on the south side of the building,” Smith told Hollywood Patch. “We are meeting with Councilman Eric Garcetti and city representatives on Monday the 18th to hear a proposal from the film school. We don’t know what that proposal is, but we are requesting a six-month extension of the permit.”

Albert Villalta, vice president of marketing for the L.A. Film School, said that the school has presented plans to city officials suggesting different configurations to the market's current layout.

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“We have worked with the farmers market to identify seven to eight options for shifting the footprint of the market to adjacent streets,” Villalta told Patch. “The list has now been narrowed down to a couple of good options that would offer even more space for the market to grow. Both parties are excited by the prospects.”

Worried that the farmers' market would be closed without an extension, a community activist group called Neighbors for Change gathered signatures at the market Sunday in an effort to get the City Council to clarify the ordinance that permits street closures for events such as the market.

"This is not a dispute between the film school and the market," said Lyn Goldfarb, a volunteer working the booth. "This is really between public good versus private interest. We just want our councilman and our City Council to act."

Smith says part of the problem is the ordinance itself. “The city ordinance is new and the council is coping with how to enforce it. The ordinance states that 51 percent of businesses affected have to agree to let us operate. All the businesses other than the film school agree, so we need to know how this is being interpreted.”

Yusef Robb, a spokesman for Garcetti, says the councilman believes a solution can be found that keeps the market in its current location. 

“The market is not just a place for Hollywood residents to gather and buy fresh fruit; it is also a draw from other areas at a time when Hollywood is somewhat empty. It’s a very important economic engine,” said Robb. “We are confident that this issue can be resolved.”

Villalta says that the film school will support the six-month extension of the permit at the Monday meeting, and that the school has always had a positive relationship with the market. 

“We value the farmers' market and appreciate the value that they have added to the local community,” he said. “The L.A. Film School is committed to helping the market make this a successful transition, ultimately resulting in increased business and safety for its patrons.”

It seems unlikely that the issue will be resolved Monday at City Hall, when market officials meet with Garcetti to discuss the the film school's latest proposal. City officials will determine at the meeting whether to grant a six-month extension.

“We clearly have some issues with how the L.A. Film School has been handling this, but we realize that surrounding businesses have a say in the matter,” said Robb. “At the end of the day our priority is to protect the wonderful community treasure that is the Hollywood Farmers’ Market.”

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