Calgary Farmers' Market lease won't be renewed

The popularCalgary Farmers' Market will have to find a new home by the fall of 2010 because the company that holds its lease says the Currie Barracksis notan "appropriate venue."

Thesouthwest Calgary marketis home to many family-run businesses selling Alberta and British Columbiaproduce and meats.The market, currently open part-time, is locatedinsidea converted airplane hangar on a former military base slated for redevelopment by Canada Lands Company.

Darrell Komick, general manager of the farmers' market, said the decision was disappointing. Themarket isexploring alternative sites, said Komick,not givingany details.

"Their plan, as they have outlined today, doesn't include the market and we respect that decision," he said. "We've always beeninto being collaborative, and we have always believed that there is a solution that we can work with Calgarians, and we still believe that."

In a press release Tuesday,Canada Lands Companysaid a large-scale public market just doesn't fit the company'slarger plans for the former barracks, already home to two residentialdevelopments Garrison Woods and Garrison Green.

"We recognize that the farmers' market is very important to many Calgarians, and we want it to continue to flourish. Currie Barracks is simply not the appropriate venue; the market does not meet the established criteria that earned Currie Barracks LEED Gold environmental certification," says Doug Kester, a vice-president for the company, in a press release.

The self-financing Crown corporation's plan for the sitehas already been approved by city council, notes the company in the release.

"Having a large-scale public market that requires significant infrastructure to support it does not meet CLC's criteria of a complete and sustainable community," says the release.

While therelease saidthe lease is up inOctober 2009, Komick said the farmers' marketwill be able tostay at Currie Barracks until the fall of 2010.

The South Calgary Community Association had started a letter writing campaign in hopes of keepingthe market in the hangar, whilea Facebook group with the same goal has more than 2,000 members.