This morning officials opened a new community market place at the plaza area above the Metro Red/Purple Line MacArthur Park Station. The community market is a one-year pilot designed to allow for officially permitted vending on Metro property. The project is a partnership between the L.A. City, L.A. County, Metro and the nonprofits Central City Neighborhood Partners and la Unión de Vendedores Ambulantes. Metro did not contribute any funding, but allowed the market to use Metro property.

At a kick-off event this morning, Metro boardmembers John Fasana and Jacqueline Dupont-Walker, L.A. City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, Metro Security Chief Alex Wiggins, and CCNP Executive Director Vernonica McDonnell spoke to celebrate the new program. Several speakers emphasized that the market is a solution for “dangerous” “major pedestrian congestion” due to vendors using space on nearby sidewalks.

The market features 38 booths with space for 68 vendor tables, with five additional food booths planned to be added in three weeks. There are also portable restrooms and sink. Day to day the project is managed and maintained by the non-profit CCNP which will charges the vendors $5 per week. CCNP manages permits and vacancies. Metro and CCNP will outreach to any vendors that set up along nearby sidewalks to get them to set up in the new official areas.

If the project proves successful during its initial pilot year, Metro boardmembers suggested that the model could be expanded to allow for official vending at other Metro sites.