Port authority seeks operator for Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

The Halifax Port Authority is looking for an operator to take over management of the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market from a weekend venue to a full-week, year-round destination.

The port authority has been managing the market for eight years. In its expression of interest released on Thursday, the port authority said it is looking to introduce an "urban market hall concept" in an "underutilized" space.

"The reality is, we're not an expert on retail. We're a port authority. We manage ships, we manage the movement of people with cruise ships," spokesperson Lane Farguson told CBC's Mainstreet on Thursday.

"Retail is not our primary business, so what we're looking for ... is a great operator who can come in and take what's already there, work with what's working well, which is the weekend farmers market, and add some vibrancy during the week."

Quiet weekdays

Farguson said while Saturdays at the Seaport market are busy, weekdays — especially during the winter — are quiet.

The vision of the project, according to the expression of interest, is to "create a vibrant space" with "unique eateries and cuisine, gathering spaces, events and a wide array of retailers in one building, all co-existing with the weekend Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market."

Staff of the port authority currently manage the Saturday market. The port authority said it would work with the new operator to evolve the current space, and added public engagement would be a component.

Farguson said vendors of the market were told on Wednesday and Thursday the authority was looking for an operator.

"I was in on those meetings and it's change, so we're doing our best to make sure people are aware of what we're doing and why and so far, it's been very well received," he said.

Potentially fewer restrictions

Farguson said it's too soon to say if the space will be completely redesigned, but there could be fewer restrictions on what can be sold at the market during the week.

Elements like the cruise corridor must stay intact, Farguson said.

The port authority is looking to begin lease negotiations with a chosen operator by late May.

If the port authority is unable to find an operator with the right plan, Farguson said it will continue to run the market.

"We're not going to move forward with the wrong idea just because it's the only idea," he said.