Oakland, Cali., gets a lot of knocks, but it's one of my favorite American cities. I've seen so many good shows at Yoshi's and had so many good meals in O-Town that I just can't not dig it. I'm having a blast this week revisiting (though not in person) this great town for an article I'm writing on transit-oriented development for Architect magazine. Oakland, it turns out, is a hot-bed of this kind of development. Who knew?
But there's another kind of development going on in Oakland that resonates with me and the local economy: Jack London Market. Here's an excerpt from a larger article in the New York Times:
In Jack London Market, named for the writer and Oakland native, the
principals of Ellis Partners have set out to combine the waterfront
location with the Bay Area’s love of California cuisine.
According
to the company’s plans, the project will feature two levels and have
70,000 square feet reserved for sellers of locally grown and specialty
foods. The upper floors will house offices and nine restaurants,
featuring menu items made from foods that have been organically grown
and locally produced.
James F. Ellis manages the development
company, one of Northern California’s largest, in partnership with his
father, Harold A. Ellis Jr., and his sister, Melinda Ellis Evers. He
said that Jack London Market is intended to provide the same kind of
economic focal point for Oakland and the East Bay region as Pike Place
Market in Seattle, the market at Fanueil Hall in Boston, and the Ferry
Building market on the other side of San Francisco Bay.
Jack
London Market is meant to become the next chapter in a distinctive
narrative of fresh, organic and healthy food that this region of
California has been writing for decades.
“Focusing on local food
just fits the demographic here in Oakland and the Bay Area,” Mr. Ellis
said. “These are young professionals, single or married without
children, who are staying in the city and have the kind of disposable
income that gets them out to eat good, fresh food.”
After the
market opens, perhaps as early as the fall of 2009, Ellis Partners is
planning to start a 250-room hotel and two 140,000-square-foot office
buildings.
What a totally cool idea. While I love the open-air of our local market, the idea of a Pike Place-like facility does have some appeal to me. And it would really establish Carrboro's commitment to being a foodie haven. Would local farmers dig it? And what about consumers? What do you think?
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