PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — Plans for a new Portage Farmers Market moved forward Tuesday night, as the Portage City Council approved a $1.3 million contract for three new pavilion structures.
The market, which is currently hosted in the Portage City Hall parking lot, has been growing in both visitors and vendors since its start in 2016, growing from 5,000 participants to 30,000 in 2023 and 2024, planning documents show.
“Interest, especially over the last few years, has just exploded,” Adam Herringa, the chief operating officer for the city of Portage, told News 8 Wednesday. “While city hall and the parking lot can accommodate it … it’s not meeting the demands both for our patrons, but as well as for our vendors. So we’ve got a great opportunity to make it a special place in our community.”
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The new market is slated to be built next to the Portage Zhang Senior Center near Centre Avenue and Westnedge Avenue. It will include 50 covered market spaces, pedestrian walkways and picnic tables. There will also be a spot for live music performances and space for three food trucks…