Serving the northeast quadrant of michigan's capital city, the 18 year-old, year-round allen farmers market is relocating within our block-sized complex

The Allen Neighborhood Center received a $394,449.90 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) to support relocation and expansion of services at the Allen Farmers Market in Lansing, Michigan. Funding will allow relocation of the 18-year-old year-round farmers market to a new mixed-use development called Allen Place featuring 21 apartments, a federally qualified health clinic serving low-to-moderate income residents, a consignment grocery store partnering with local farmers, and an accelerator kitchen housing four food startups. The grant will support collaboration between the farmers market and onsite partners to mutually promote services and co-create events. Funding will also support creation of transit options and pedicab services to the relocated market given reduced onsite parking. The grant additionally provides support for the Hunter Park Gardenhouse urban farm located two blocks away to promote agritourism through educational tours.

This move is a result of the creation of allen place, our new, mixed-use development featuring 21 apartments, a federally qualified health clinic to serve low-moderate income neighbors, a consignment grocery store partnering with local farmers, and an accelerator kitchen, home to four food start-UPS. We believe that the community-driven allen place development will RE-invigorate our farmers market after twin challenges of covid and construction. IT will offer new opportunities to collaborate with multiple on-site stakeholders, including the clinic, elfco consignment grocery/food CO-OP, and businesses in our accelerator kitchen, to mutually promote services and CO-create events to draw new patrons to the market. Given reduced on-site car parking in the complex, we will create intra-neighborhood and other transit options, including partnering with our local transit authority for a shelter and enhanced bus service. We will also utilize pedi-cabs to give patrons that walk to the market a lift home with their purchases. We also seek support for the hunter park gardenhouse, our urban farm located 2 blocks from allen place in a 13-acre park. We will vigorously promote urban agri-tourism through educational tours of our year-round, 96' x 30' greenhouse and in an acre of cultivated parkland. The agri-tourism offerings will also include tours of a selection of the 12-15 local urban farms on lansing's eastside.