Prep school wants popular Outer Sunset Farmers Market to give up Sundays

SAN FRANCISCO – The latest in ongoing series of “shared spaces” fights in San Francisco isn’t focused on the Great Highway or Golden Gate Park, but over a farmers market. 

The Outer Sunset Farmers Market sprung up during the pandemic bringing food, music, even roller skating to sleepy 37th Avenue. During that time, 37th Avenue neighbor St. Ignatius High School wasn’t holding in-person classes or large events due to concerns over the coronavirus. 

However, with things now reopened, that has changed. 

“They want the permit for the farmers market to be able to accommodate their needs for parking and access to St. Ignatius. It’s really ten days — ten Sundays — in the coming year that they’re going to have large events,” said District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar. 

The permit for the farmers market expires on August 13th. 

Angie Petitt is the director and founder of Sunset Mercantile, which runs the farmers market. The school’s requesting some Sunday closures of the market as well as some reduced single-block market days due to crowds of 1,200 people expected on the Jesuit campus. 

Angie says that won’t work. 

“If we close the farmers market on any given date…farmers markets don’t close. They are consistent for the farmers. They need consistency,” she told KPIX. 

It’s not just the farmers looking for consistency, but the restaurants that have come to depend on the business they get at the farmers market. Daniel Ramirez is grilling up brisket pupusas today and full-on Texas barbecue on Sundays. 

“We don’t have a brick and mortar, so this is our pop-up spot where we’re at every Sunday. This is your business. This is our business right here,” he told KPIX. 

At issue is parking for both marketgoers and the St. Ignatius crowds. 

“For decades, they’ve had no obstruction to this area and it’s just been them here. We’re the new neighbor, but we are a neighbor that services thousands of people, supports hundreds of small business,” said Petitt. 

In a phone call, the communications director for the school told KPIX they don’t want the market to close and offered this statement on their website: 

“With OSFMM occupying two blocks adjoining our school, this large number of visitors, in addition to the OSFMM attendees, will be forced to park in the surrounding neighborhood. While this new permit will benefit Ms. Petitt, it would come at a cost to the St. Ignatius community and we worry about the impact on our surrounding neighbors.”

Supervisor Mar has arranged another meeting between St. Ignatius officials and the farmers market’s organizers on Monday and hopes a compromise can be struck.