The time has come.

The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market needs to move.

The Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday is set to formally approve the relocation of the market from the Cota Commuter Lot to the 900 to 1000 blocks of State Street and 00 blocks of Carrillo Street.

“The transition to the new location for the Saturday farmers market, though in some ways is bittersweet as the Cota location holds so many memories for our community, is also a moment to celebrate,” Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said. “It was a difficult, contentious issue when the stakeholders first began exploring the possibility of a move, but through the sustained engagement of the Farmers Market board, patrons of the market, and our city staff, this fantastic solution emerged.”

The new location will be large enough for 95 Farmers Market booths and their vehicles, city engineer Brian D’Amour said in the city staff report for the meeting.

“This location has the greatest potential to provide a safe, family-friendly space that
is well shaded, easily accessible by foot, bike, car and public transportation,” D’Amour said. “The area is surrounded by ample parking in the immediate area with the ability to accommodate the 5,000-plus attendees during the peak season.”

The move began in 2020 and is tied to the building of the new Santa Barbara Police Department headquarters.

The plan now is for the Farmers Market to move on Sept. 7. Construction on the new police station will begin later in the fall.

The city plans to make several changes to downtown streets in anticipation of the move. Crews plan to install protective vehicle barriers at the intersections of Carrillo and Chapala
streets and Carrillo and Anacapa streets while the market is operating, according to the staff report. The barriers and storage are anticipated to cost $251,000.

“The barriers will be capable of stopping vehicles from entering the market area, and include gates to facilitate easy emergency access,” the staff report stated.

The barriers will be removed and stored in trailers when the market is not in operation. The city also intends to install four curb extensions at the intersection of Chapala and Figueroa
streets to increase pedestrian visibility and decrease conflicts with vehicles, according to the staff report.

“The new location has shade, more parking and is big enough that the market can grow — all things that were missing from the Cota lot location — and from the city side, not only will the relocated market enliven State Street on Saturday mornings, it brings us one step closer to the construction of the new, desperately needed police station,” Harmon said. “In my view, this resolution is truly one of the rare ‘win-wins.'”

The city plans to build a $90 million police headquarters that reaches three stories, about 53 feet high, and 65,000 square feet at the site of the current Saturday Farmers Market, the Cota Commuter Parking Lot.

The current police station, at 215 E. Figueroa St., was built in 1959 and is not seismically safe.

Tuesday’s meeting is set to begin at 2 p.m. at Santa Barbara City Hall, 735 Anacapa St.