Monterey Aldermen moving yard sales back to the Farmers Market area to accommodate upcoming business expansion for Cumberland Container.
Yard sales are currently held in the parking lot on South Holly. Alderman Larry Bennett said the city is working with the company.
“The issue I guess is coming up that the factory’s going to need parking over there and the loading bays back there for those tractor trailers will have to come into that end there and back in,” Bennett said. “And they’re going to need that area to back in. I think they’ve got to get some machinery back in there and I think they’ve got, if I’m correct, about 30 employees going to be working there I think. So they’re going to need that space.”
City Administrator Rafferty Cleary said the yard sales were originally moved to the parking lot because of crowding issues and complaints from produce sellers at the market. Cleary said the town will likely again have to limit the number of yard sellers to seven or eight designated spots to ensure they can coexist with the Farmers Market sellers.
“If you’re looking at the Farmers Market from Holly Street, they’re over to the left where the grass and the concrete meet,” Cleary said. “Now, the spots themselves, they’re in the parking lot. So a lot of times you’ll see folks back their cars into the grass and unload their stuff and use those designated spaces there.”
Alderman Jim Wolfgram questioned why they were being relocated again.
“They were taking over the inside of the place and people wanting to do the farmers market, the true farmers, couldn’t use it because yard sellers were in there,” Alderman Bill Wiggins said.
Cleary said while there is the occasional dispute, the two types of vendors can coexist relatively easily.
Bennett said along with the relocation, his committee also discussed increasing the fees for the farmer’s market from $5 to $10 and allow wholesalers vendors. Bennett said the city needs to allow Cumberland Containers the space to operate.
“If Cumberland Container needs a parking lot, you know we need to grant that end at least so they can get a truck in there or a tractor-trailer or whatever and pull around,” Bennett said. “Who knows when they’re going to be bringing them over. We don’t know, and you’ve got a bunch of people out there all over the place and the place is full of cars and trucks or whatever.”
Alderman Jamie Phillips said he disagreed with the decision to relocate the yard sales.
“Why the urgency to do this now and limit our folks to the city property that we already have? That would be my question,” Phillips said. “Wait until we actually get a proposal, then we could actually evaluate it.”
Mayor Alex Garcia said agreed with Phillips’ concerns, but he would not deny the company access to their docks. Garcia said he does not anticipate there to be an issue for the rest of the year, as the yard sales normally die down in the fall.
The limit of seven yard sellers at the farmer’s market will be effective immediately. The 16×16 spots downtown are first come first serve.
