The City of Yakima has launched an online survey to gather input about whether local consumers would support the idea of creating a space that would be shared by a public market and a food business incubator/commercial kitchen. Both the public market concept and the idea of a commercial kitchen/food business incubator were mentioned as possible economic enhancement elements as part of the Downtown Yakima Master Plan, which was adopted by the Yakima City Council about a year and a half ago.
The surveys can be filled out in either English or Spanish on the City’s website at the following link – https://www.yakimawa.gov/services/economic-development/. The surveys will remain active until 5:00 pm on Friday, February 6th.
Last August, the City surveyed potential public market vendors and potential incubator/commercial kitchen users. Now the City wants to hear from potential customers.
“Last August’s surveys brought a lot of potential market vendors and incubator/commercial kitchen users out of the woodwork,” said Economic Development Manager Sean Hawkins. “Those surveys showed there are potential local tenants for that kind of facility. Now we need to hear from potential customers about what would draw them to a public market incubator/kitchen space,” said Hawkins.
The customer survey asks for information about where people buy groceries and produce, how often they eat out, how frequently they go to a public market or specialty food store, and where they think a market/incubator/kitchen facility should be located in Yakima. The survey also includes questions about what people like about public markets and specialty food stores, what they would like to see incorporated in the design of a market/incubator/commercial kitchen facility, and basic demographic information such as age, income, etc.
“Pike Place Market in Seattle and Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee are good examples of how the concept can work,” said Hawkins. “A combined public market and food business incubator/commercial kitchen is the perfect place for artists, food vendors, specialty products producers, farmers, and other emerging small businesses to meet customers face-to-face, generate sales, and refine their products.”
BDS Planning & Urban Design, a Seattle-based firm hired by the City to help refine elements of the Downtown Yakima Master Plan, designed the survey and will tabulate the data collected from it. The results of the customer survey, along with those from the potential market vendors and incubator/kitchen users surveys, as well as other information developed by BDS Urban Planning & Design will be shared with the community during a public meeting sometime during the first quarter of 2015.
Public Market-Incubator-Commercial Kitchen Survey – News Release