The mountains of dirt are subsiding. The roof and playground are coming into view. And you can almost taste those late-summer tomatoes and fresh sweet corn from the farmers market.
In what will surely launch Downtown Lee’s Summit into another stratosphere of excellence, city officials have announced the opening of the much-anticipated Green Street market and outdoor performance space. That announcement signals the long-awaited light at the end of the Green Street tunnel, 12 years in the making that included countless man-hours in designs, planning and execution.
Green Street’s grand opening is set for Aug. 15-17.
And whether you’re part of the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street crew, a public servant watching over the project or a downtown business owner, Green Street’s opening cues a seismic visual blast to not just Jackson County, but the entire state.
“We’re a top five city in Missouri now,” Fossil Forge owner and former DLSMS Board President Dave Eames said. “The days of driving to Overland Park or Kansas City are behind us. We have the populace, the people, the jobs, we’re making these fundamental changes to the city. This just doesn’t happen without the cooperation of the public and private.”
The farmers market at Greet Street will nearly double in capacity with the opening, with 50 spaces available inside and nearly double that available on the lawn. The event space, available for public and private event rental, will hold nearly 800 and includes a catering kitchen and restrooms at each end. A few other numbers to know:
- 17,140-Gross square footage of the market building.
- 10-Overhead doors at the farmers market.
- 9,650-Square footage of the lawn under the canopy.
- 15,000-Square footage of the grove area under and around the wickets.
- 50-Number of different preset light show programs the wickets and the MOZ panels at the façade of the building can display.
And, one of the most important numbers - 8. As in 8 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 16. The first day of the new market. A day DLSMS Executive Director Donnie Rodgers has been longing to see.
“In my mind, we could see triple the attendance in the farmers market,” Rodgers noted. “We know how these things go - everyone is excited and everyone wants to see it. I could see record turnout that Saturday and then sustaining that throughout the summer. The atmosphere down there is going to be very exciting and welcoming.”
Green Street’s capabilities far exceed a farmers market, too, Rodgers said.
“There could be small music acts, families taking in a nice walk through the area, using the playground equipment,” Rodgers began, “and I could see people going over and playing cornhole, lawn games. And this will now help connect the parking garage to the rest of downtown. The market isn’t just shopping, it’s a community event and an opportunity for people to get out and socialize.”
With the World Cup arriving in Kansas City in less than a year, District 1 Council member Mia Prier said the timing couldn’t be more ideal.
“The timing is perfect right before the World Cup,” Prier said. “Finally, we will be on the level of a destination city through this market. We’ve been working well with a developer (Lane 4) that likes to focus on small developments, more local developments. It will reflect in how the market operates, and that will add value to the lives of everyone that lives here.”
While the original Downtown Performance Space project had an initial price tag of $600,000, elected officials and stakeholders began to think bigger and broader about the space, eventually settling on Green Street and a new indoor/outdoor farmers market.
Phase I of the project (public infrastructure) had a budget of $9.5M; Phase II (site development) has a lifetime budget of just over $34M. Of that amount, $29.7M comes from the Downtown Market Fund (an allocation of funding from city investments, land sales and ARPA funds), $4.2M from the Downtown Community Improvement District 1-cent tax and the original $600,000 from the 2013 GO Bonds.
Rodgers said there are ongoing conversations about private investment at the site, which could include a hotel component at 3rd & Green, mixed-use projects and a possible restaurant at 2nd & Green.
“I don’t know anyone that compares to this,” Rodgers said. “The level of investment the city has made with the site - it’s huge. It’s on the same level as the streetscape and keeping city hall downtown. It’s one of those monumental projects that will set the stage for downtown growth over the next 20, 50 years.”
Eames echoed the comparisons to the massive streetscape project in 2007.
“Those were fundamental changes for downtown and how people viewed downtown, the trajectory of the city instantly went into a brand new direction,” he said. “This project, as different as we started in 2013, has rightfully blossomed into this much larger project. Patience and allowing this to take shape has been really critical to get us to this place where we’re all proud of.”
As a parent and longtime resident, Prier shares that sense of pride.
“I was lucky enough to be on council during the ribbon cutting and opening,” she said. “This has taken a lot of work from a lot of people that came before myself and council member (Hillary) Shields in District 1. As a councilman and as a parent that will enjoy the amenities for years to come, I am elated.”
The new farmers market will be open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon, through the end of October.
For more information on Green Street, visit cityofls.net/green-street.