Press release from the City of Arcata:

Starting April 20, in celebration of Earth Day, the Arcata Plaza will be fully closed to vehicles during the Farmers’ Market every Saturday!

The Arcata Plaza Farmers’ Market is a popular destination for many community members on Saturdays, and the market has continued to grow over the last several years. The street closures will support public safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ADA access and parking will be maintained or expanded.

Plaza Closures during Saturday Farmers’ Market has been a long-awaited goal of the City. It was a recommendation of the Plaza Improvement Task Force in 2020 and has been included as a Council Priority Project for 2023/2024.

Implementation of Plaza vehicular closures will be made possible through a collaborative partnership between the City of Arcata, the North Coast Growers’ Association (NCGA) and the Arcata Chamber of Commerce.

When asked about the upcoming street closures, NCGA Executive Director Portia Bramble said, “I’m truly excited to see safety improved for families with young children and accessibility improved for people who are walking and biking, reduced congestion and improved flow to local downtown businesses. I’m also super excited to meet what the community asked for in our Plaza Improvement Task Force process. This came out of multiple years of planning and development. Walkability and reducing traffic and congestion in the downtown area is one of the highest priorities in the City’s general planning process.”

NCGA Board President Melanie Cunningham also commented, “I’m really looking forward to the change. It’s long overdue and will only improve the market for shoppers and farmers alike.”

NCGA is the operator of ten Certified Farmers’ Markets in Humboldt County. A number of independent markets and farm stands continue to operate in various communities. For a list of community markets, farm stands and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms as well as a directory of our farmers’ market vendors please visit this link.

Membership in the North Coast Growers’ Association is open to residents of Humboldt County who grow or raise what they sell within Humboldt County. Working collaboratively, NCGA staff and members represent agricultural interests in Humboldt County through community partnerships that promote local and healthy foods, programs that increase access to local food, participation in local and statewide policy-making, and coordination of ten Certified Farmers’ Markets.

NCGA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the primary mission to operate certified farmers’ markets for the benefit of both producers and consumers, to promote awareness of and support for farmers’ markets, to work with other direct marketing associations to share resources and improve market management, to educate consumers, and to promote and improve access to local agricultural products for the community.

If Plaza businesses have thoughts/suggestions for how to better integrate the Farmers’ Market with the Plaza-facing businesses, please reach out to the North Coast Growers’ Association or the Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, please visit cityofarcata.org or call (707) 822-8184.