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EASTERN MARKET STRATEGIC PLAN “Lots of Good Ideas” But Questions About Process
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by Elizabeth O’Gorek
n a critical moment for Eastern Market, a new toolkit has been completed to help ensure the long-term viability of the icon at the center of our community. The Eastern Market Strategic Plan, commissioned by the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) almost a year ago, was released to the public Oct. 7. The plan, budgeted at $300,000, was commissioned from Hill-based consulting firm Architrave, and was endorsed by the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) in a letter that asked for details on specifics as it called for speedy implementation.
study also recommends EMCAC be reconfigured “to ensure equal representation by individuals with a stake and expertise in the operation of Eastern Market.” The plan calls for a reconfiguration of the stalls in the South Hall and a rethinking of the organization of the outdoor market. There are to be additional events, such as musical performances, and placemaking such as beer gardens, tables and chairs. Marketing is to be emphasized, primarily through the hire of a full-time marketing director, but also through signage and campaigns. Online shopping options are proposed, together with the creation of a customer hub.
What’s Inside
A Toolkit
The 100-page report, issued Oct. 7, comes with an additional five appendixes containing an impressive 300-pages of information and data about the market and the area economy and makes 12 recommendations supported by 52 strategies. The plan encompasses the Eastern Market Special Use Area (EMSUA), which includes the market inside the building, an ecosystem of outdoor markets and the brick and mortar businesses in the area. It calls for major changes at the market, including replacing existing management (the Department of General Services advised by EMCAC, with a nonprofit public-partnership board composed of DC government reps, stakeholders, and community members. Elements of the plan are to be coordinated by an implementation committee, which is to be made up of similar membership. The
Architrave Project Manager Scott Betz said that the firm sees the plan as a toolkit, providing goals for Eastern Market, a strategy to implement them, and the data to back up the recommendations. The report is based on more than 3,800 responses to a community survey issued in January, workshops with stakeholders, and studies of five similar public markets throughout the United States. Some of these recommendations will sound familiar to long-time followers of Eastern Market management, said Peter J. Waldron. Waldron said that while the report is well-done, little in it is a surprise. “They’re all recommendations the very able EMCAC members have raised and discussed,” he said. “But EMCAC is an advisory body, so it can’t make the decisions —the city and the Department of General Services (DGS) does.” Waldron has covered Eastern Market and monthly EMCAC meetings for the Hill Rag for the last 13 years. He was also part of the Eastern Market Task Force, a committee commissioned by then-Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells to study market management and make recommendations for new oversight. That report, released in April 2011, also recommended that legislation governing Eastern Market be changed to allow for management by a not-for-profit quasi-public entity composed of a board of directors of 11 members. That legislation stalled in council.
Who Implements the Implementation Committee? While that recommendation may be the same, the path laid out by the 2020 Strategic Plan is not as developed. The 2011 task force proposed not only who should be members of such a board, but also offered guidance on appointments and term lengths. This year’s plan is vague on those details, instead proposing that an implementation working group, composed of members of EMCAC, DGS, and merchant vendors lead and coordinate the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Without clear guidance for who should be on the committee and who should select members and provide leadership, some fear the plan could fail before it is initiated. The absence of 50 H HILLRAG.COM
