San Francisco to move popular farmers market out of U.N. Plaza

SAN FRANCISCO — With all the talk about homelessness, drug addiction and “doom loops” in San Francisco, there is at least one very popular bright spot — the weekly farmers’ market at UN Plaza. Now, even that is facing unwelcome changes.

The elegant, brick-lined beauty of United Nations Plaza has changed in recent years. Now, most days, it has become a gathering place for the homeless and drug-addicted. Yet one day each week, the atmosphere changes, thanks to the Sunday farmers’ market.

“I mean, this market was founded on the principal that this was a food desert. There was no full-service grocery store and, from day one, we had a line of people in this neighborhood waiting to purchase fresh produce,” said Steve Pulliam, executive director of Heart of the City Farmers’ Market.

The presence of so many people discourages the troubled element from congregating and officials have taken notice. They asked if the market could operate seven days a week but, when that wasn’t possible, the city quietly developed a plan to move the farmers out. Instead, the plaza will soon contain a public recreation area for skateboarding and pickleball with Teqball courts and ping-pong and chess tables.

“What we’ve been told is that it is an experimental pilot project to try to improve conditions on U.N. Plaza,” Pulliam said. “We’ve been told if it does not work, if it proves to be unsuccessful, they’ll put the bricks back and we can come back on the plaza. We have our doubts about that but that’s what we’ve been told.”

As for the farmers? They will be moved to the parking lot on Folsom, across the street from U.N. Plaza but they’re not happy about it. They say the space, which market customers currently use for parking, is smaller and will not allow the same size vendor tents or space for their work trucks.

That would make a difference for Morgan Hill farmer Tony Mellow. He’s been offering a variety of produce ever since the first day the market opened in 1981. He doesn’t see the equity in displacing the farmers because of the actions of others.

“Isn’t it normal to leave something that’s there, there?” Mellow asked. “And do it where they want us to go. Put their little park for skateboards and things over there.”

Customer Ramon Zaniba agrees. He thinks the city is looking for an easy way out, rather than dealing with the real problem.

“Why bring in a different element — a skatepark and so forth? Why not allow this to be as it is and help those that need the help instead of trying to move them to — nowhere?” Zaniba said.

The farmers are asking the public to speak out but they realize it’s probably a done deal. Demolition of a statue in the Folsom Street parking lot has already begun and farmer Ken Phan is trying to keep an open mind about the move.

“More customers? Maybe?  Maybe we might be more busy, who knows?” he said. “So, this could be pro and con. We’ll see. I don’t know yet.  For now, we’ll just have to go along and work together.”

Pulliam said that, even if the current farmers can squeeze into the new space, it will eliminate the possibility of growth, preventing the market from ever fully recovering from the pandemic. He said that, when they decided not to fight the plan, the city portrayed them as being supportive of it. So, Pulliam said, he will not be attending a public meeting on Monday because he doesn’t want to be seen as endorsing a plan that is being forced on them.