City Allows Main Street Market to Remain Open

Do you approve of the decision? What do you think of the Main Street Market? Post a comment below. 

Spurred by what was described as an "overwhelming show of support," Safety Harbor City Commissioners voted to extend the amount of time the Main Street Market can remain open by a period of nine months by a vote of 5-0 Tuesday night.

The market, located at the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue North, has been operating under a temporary use permit for the past three months. The permit was set to expire this week. 

Owner Bill Bailey, who is planning to open a fresh market/tapas restaurant in a vacant building down the street, applied for an extension to the permit, arguing the amount of time and effort he is pouring into both endeavors has only served to entrench him in the community.

Based on the amount of supporters he had show up and speak in his favor, it was hard to argue with him.

"I'm a third generation Safety Harbor resident ... and I was very excited when the market came here," Valerie Nolte said during the public hearing. "I think this type of storefront ... really fits in with what we want in Safety Harbor."

"I think it's more than a fruit stand," Katheen Hubbard echoed. "It's a catalyst to bring the community together."

Nealy a dozen citizens stood and spoke words similar to those, praising Bailey's efforts to revitalize downtown and help grow the business district, all with the best interests of the community in mind.

"The community support has been overwhelming," Bailey told the commissioners. "We're asking to be here long term, because we feel we bring something to the community."

"We've added some beauty to the neighborhood," Bailey's wife, Dawn, added. "We want to be a part of this community for a lifetime."

While Mayor Andy Steingold was reluctant to grant an indefinite extension to what was supposed to be a temporary business, even he could sense that the support for the market far overshadowed any thoughts of closing it down.

"You obviously have a pretty huge following," he said motioning to the standing room-only crowd at City Hall. "And it appears overwhelmingly that the citizens want this here on a more permanent basis."

"We need to address this issue more specifically in our ordinance."

As it stands now, Section 54.00 of the City's Comprehensive Zoning and Land Development Code states "no temporary use permit shall be issued for more than a 90-day period." 

But the commissioners agreed to revisit the length of time granted in temporary use permits, especially in light of how this one business has galvanized the community.

"You can tell from the crowd it's not the support of a fruit stand, it's the support of this specific fruit stand," Commissioner Cliff Merz said. "It's nice. You don't see that very often."

"My personal take is there's an overwhelming majority of people who want this here. I recommend a nine month extension," Vice Major Jospeh Ayoub said to thunderous applause.

Afterward, Bailey was emotional when speaking of the support he received.

"We're thrilled. What great support from the city," he said as people shook his hand. "The people have been thanking us for being here, and they showed their support tonight. It was amazing."