As Condo Developers, Realtors and Rich Californians Salivate, Portland Sends Saturday Market Packing
Heading down to the Portland Saturday Market this summer? This is the best time of year to cruise the booths, hear some music, breathe the breeze coming in from the river just to the east, eat the food, watch the jugglers and the clowns as they all do tricks for you.
But after reading Jack Bog’s blog post this morning, and then parsing through a Portland Parks document (see page 2 of the PDF) only a naive fool would fail to conclude that the Saturday Market is moving out, and despite a “hearing” this Friday, this forced relocation is a done deal.
So if you are going to the Market, better take your camera to make you some memories. That’s because the Saturday Market is leaving its current location after this year’s season December 24.
You see, the empty-nesters with their fat 401(k)s and the rich Californians looking to move north oh, so desperately need another damn high-rise condo, and our city is so sensitive to their needs. And too the burning desire of rapacious developers already filling up the skyline to build another glassy grand edifice - a desire that will not be satiated until the Riverfront - with the exception of Waterfront Park proper- is chock-a-block with high-rise condos that block mountain views.
The city is far more sensitive to their the needs of rich developers, go-go Realtors and their acquisitive, materialistic clients than to those of the artisans who labor all of the off-season creating paintings, clothing, and designer soaps for the many thousands of Saturday Market visitors who forego the big box retailers of the suburbs to venture under the Burnside Bridge to socialize, browse, and buy.
The Saturday Market will find another location, but where? Ankeny Street lacks the shelter that the Burnside Bridge affords. Same with the South Park Blocks- which are fine for the Portland Farmer’s Market in the sunny summer months, but are wretched for any non-webbed creature when it is rainy and 36 degrees in November, or misty and 46 degrees in April.
So, Portland Saturday Market visitors, take your camera and bring plenty of flash memory. For after Christmas Eve, memories will be all there will be where you stand.
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haha.. not all realtors are the kids of the devil. shame on you!