On Tuesday, the Brentwood City Council will discuss the expansion of the downtown farmers market in the City of Brentwood.
If approved, the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA) Farmers Market would increase by 20 additional booth spaces – which would be placed on Oak between Diablo Way and First Street, with five of these spaces reserved for City oversight and use with some limit restrictions (no hot food vendors or political activities).
According to the staff report, PCFMA has a current waitlist for the Brentwood Farmers Market, and would operate 15 of the new booths. This expansion will enhance the market’s offerings, support local businesses, and provide additional opportunities for community engagement.
The staff report also says the Downtown Business Coalition fully supports the expansion efforts, however, the majority of DBC members want the market to be located directly in front of their businesses. Although the DBC would recommend the market expand to Chestnut Street initially, they understand PCFMA’s recommendation for Oak Street and hope if successful the next expansion would be on Chestnut.
Brentwood says if the City allows PCFMA to expand, Parks and Recreation staff will oversee the booth allocation process for the five spaces allocated for the City. This system ensures a fair and transparent process for all interested vendors, while also allowing flexibility for businesses and organizations to plan their participation. Applications will be reviewed quarterly, and spots will be drawn at random. Staff will create a process for a maximum number of times a business can participate annually if the City receives more applicants than available spots. The current plan is to reserve, on a quarterly application process, one spot each week for downtown businesses, one for nonprofits, and the remaining three spots would be from other permitted Brentwood-based businesses
In response to questions posed by the City Council, staff offers the following information:
Can the vendor booths go down the middle of the street? No, due to Fire District requirements, there is not enough space for a fire lane (20 ft) if booths are placed in the middle of the street. In addition, PCFMA does not recommend this, as it could create an issue with the flow of foot traffic around the market.
Can PCFMA expand down towards the Veterans Hall (on First Street)? PCFMA does not recommend expanding in that direction. There is an insufficient amount of shade, which could cause issues in the summer. In addition, expanding that direction would remove the primary “close up” parking to the market, approximately 40 spaces
Can we expand the market with downtown businesses having booths? If approved, PCFMA will provide five of the new twenty proposed spaces for the City to manage. This would include dedicated spaces each week for downtown businesses, non-profits and other Brentwood-based businesses.
Can the City run an additional portion of the Farmers Market for downtown booths? With the solution of adding 20 new booths, five would be dedicated for City management and operation.
Is the City of Brentwood Farmers Market the most expensive in the area? Brentwood’s Farmers Market is considered a “Tier 3” market through the PCFMA Board of Directors determined pricing schedule. This tier is for markets that have a high rate of attendance and are considered by PCFMA as one of their most successful. See attachment #2 for PCFMA Rates.
Poll downtown businesses to see if they are interested in participating in an expansion. Staff met with the board of directors of the Downtown Business Coalition, and they supported the proposed expansion of the market.
Staff recommends the expansion as proposed by PCFMA on Oak Street between Diablo Way and First Street, including the establishment of the quarterly draft booth allocation described above.
If You Go
- Brentwood City Council Meeting
- April 08, 2025 at 7:00 P.m.
- City Council Chambers
- 150 City Park Way, Brentwood, CA 94513
- Staff Report – click here
Original Discussion on Expansion (Jan 2025)
Council to Review Farmers Market Configuration — Expansion
The item was requested by Councilmember Jovita Mendoza who highlighted her item actually may need to be tweaked from a “configuration” to an “expansion” – given the long waiting list. Mendoza also said given what The Streets of Brentwood is doing, they need to compete and bring in people from all over the bay.
There was discussion of how it would expand from either down towards the Veterans Hall, or even towards City Park.
Some of the public comments include:
Tom Gregory spoke about how he has submitted an application for a Thursday Night farmers market as an option because a lot of people cannot get into the farmers market –says staff has it and working on it but its very limited because Temporary Use Permit do not allow for repetitive events.
Lynn Tei, Downtown Brentwood Coalition, said they support the farmers market and agreed with expansion to include more streets calling it a “great benefit” to the surrounding businesses.
Amy Noack, Boondoggies, loved the idea of an expansion.
Vikky Little, Sip and Scoop, expressed concerns over changes in configuration noting most of their sales come from Saturday’s market, but did support expansion.
Vice Mayor PA’Tanisha Pierson supported the idea of expansion and questioned if they could adjust the farmers market tents so people would be walking between the tents and businesses versus in the middle of the street.
“I think it’s a big deal. People come to Brentwood for our farmers market. It’s a good one and I’d like to see us do that,” said Pierson.
Mayor Susannah Meyer said a few years ago they expanded the farmers market year round and would support the idea expansion but also find a way to incorporate more “locals” into the market in an effort to get more people the benefit. She supported moving the item forward.
Mendoza asked to explore the idea of “booth locations” for existing businesses.
The council directed staff to discuss with the farmers market organizers expansion and reconfiguration – while seeing if they can support local businesses who may want a booth.
