Public Market Plans Moving Forward

While plans are moving forward to open an indoor public food market adjacent to the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, its opening date remains unclear.

“We’re going to open as soon as we can, but we don’t want to open prematurely and badly,” said Brian Kinney, chairman of the non-profit Boston Public Market Association (BPMA), part of a public-private partnership to open the market.

The year-round market would occupy a 30,000 square foot, ground-level retail space at an existing Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)-owned building located at 136 Blackstone St., also known as Parcel 7. The state is negotiating an 85-year lease for the space, which could accommodate up to 40 vendors selling seasonal produce, dairy, meat and fish, among other local food items.

Besides use of the building, Kinney said the state had donated $4 million to the market, and the BPMA now hopes to raise an additional $11 million through grants from individuals, foundations and corporations. The BPMA is now developing a business plan to attract donors.

“We need a really robust business plan, and we don’t have one,” Kinney said.

The BPMA is also exploring possible business partnerships, including one with the Boston’s Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Kinney said.

Meanwhile, the BPMA intends to select an architect for the project in the next two or three months.

“We’re only looking at architectural firms in Boston,” Kinney said. “The architect needs to be convenient to contact.”

Visit the BPMA online at ww.bostonpublicmarket.org.

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