Town Plaza Park to get a facelift, so farmers head down the street
Construction completion date in late September
Market moving April 7
By Gloria I. Wang
In a matter of weeks, the town will undertake one of its largest and most public improvement projects: the renovation of Town Plaza Park. To make room for construction, the weekly Los Gatos Farmers Market will move to the civic center parking lot on April 7.
The civic center, located on E. Main Street, will also be the venue for the summer Music in the Plaza series, which starts in June.
The Farmers Market is held on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will return to Town Plaza after the town holds a grand opening celebration for the park Sept. 28. In the meantime, the town will put up signs directing the public to the civic center parking lot.
Music in the Plaza concerts, held every Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m., will be on the civic center lawn until the series ends in August.
The biggest change to town plaza will be the construction of a new fountain. The 35-year-old fountain, cited for having mechanical and electrical deficiencies as well as presenting a safety hazard, will be replaced with a more "naturalistic" design that resembles a grove of redwood trees when turned on.
Other improvements include new benches, sidewalks with a historical element and new landscaping. The budget for the project is now slightly more than $1.5 million.
The Los Gatos Parks and Public Works Department will close the park in April or May to begin construction; the bidding process for construction just recently opened. According to the town, the project will be completed by Sept. 28.
Along with the changes to Town Plaza Park, downtown will also undergo measures beginning in June or July to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. The town's previously approved Downtown Streetscape Plan calls for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, including bulb-outs at crosswalks, where the curb is extended outward to slow down traffic. Intersections affected include Grays Lane and Bachman Avenue at N. Santa Cruz Avenue.
Melanie Defé, co-director of the Farmers Market, says she is unsure if the civic center parking lot will be more or less spacious than the town plaza parking strip. She plans to measure the amount of available space before April 7 and coordinate where to put each vendor.
Defé says, however, that she has been impressed with the town's generosity and efforts to relocate the market. Town staff initiated the search for a new spot and did all the preliminary work, asking Defé and her partner, Suellen Sterling, for input.
The main message that Defé wants to send out is that, despite the move, the quality of the Farmers Market will not change and should continue to attract visitors.
"I hope everyone will know that it's still good, even though we've moved," Defé said.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
