What is the
Allen Neighborhood Center's new Allen Market Place? How much time do you have? An indoor farmer's market, a food distribution center, a historic redevelopment project, a food storage facility, an incubator kitchen and a community learning space; Simply put, the Allen Market Place is a game changer for the Allen Neighborhood Center, the surrounding community, as well as the greater Lansing area.
"This is huge for us," says Director of the Allen Neighborhood Center Joan Nelson. "The programming is both an expansion of what we've been doing for ten years, as well as the launch of some very new projects. We're just excited."
There's a lot to be excited about. The $600,000 community project has been underway since early 2012, and is now within sight of completion. Once fully functional, the Allen Market Place will serve a number of food-related functions.
A Food System Change
The Eastside is already a community steeped in the food system. The Greater Lansing Food Bank, various community gardens, and
Urbandale Farm call the area home, along with the Allen Neighborhood Center. The Allen Market Place won't just be another food-oriented location on that corner of town, however. Through its function as a food distribution center, its reach will go far beyond.
"The Exchange is explicitly about serving the needs of food system and healthy eating throughout Mid-Michigan," says Nelson.
The Exchange portion of the Allen Market Place will link urban growers and rural farmers with buyers and food service managers in such places as restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes and schools. This will allow those buyers to connect with local food and create a new market for local growers.
"We've had an intensely place-based organization for 13 years, focusing on the northeast quadrant of the city," Nelson says. "What this project does is enlarge our area of concern."
The facility will also include large, refrigerated food storage available to commercial and private users, such as growers and co-ops.
A Neighborhood Change
That's not to say the impact of the Allen Market Place won't be felt locally as well. The 5,000 square foot building will expand the scope of the Allen Neighborhood Center's existing community work. Their popular farmer's market will become year-round by moving indoors during colder weather.
"We think that the indoor farmer's market will be as lively as the summer market," says Nelson. "We'll have music and kids activities, and we're particularly excited about having activities going on in the kitchen."
That kitchen will serve a purpose all on its own on non-market days as an incubator kitchen, helping food entrepreneurs launch new businesses. Nelson also expects other events to take place in the kitchen space.
"I think that the kitchen rental might catalyze a bunch of food related activity," she says, listing food demonstrations, classes and community meetings as possibilities. "Other folks may find in our kitchen a place where they can make their dreams come true"
A Physical Change
To redevelopment folks, the very building that will house the Allen Market Place is an exciting story in and of itself. The building began as a grocery store belonging to Lansing's longest serving city council member, Fred Kircher, and then served as a warehouse for year before contractors and volunteers teamed up to give it new life.
To transform the many-times altered building, months of de-constructing preceded contruction. It was during this phase when entirely unknown features of the building were discovered, such as dome roof hidden by an old drop ceiling and hidden windows.
"After consulting early plans, we began removing blocks in the walls to reveal four or five original windows," says Nelson. "We've introduced a lot of light into the building."
The $600,000 renovation project has received an outpouring of community support, including grants from the Capital Region Community Foundation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, REO Olds Foundation, Pentecost Foundation and Consumers Energy Foundation, as well as support from the Lansing Board of Water and Light and Habitat for Humanity.
Elbow grease has played no small role in bringing the Market Place to life either. Around 100 volunteers have logged about 800 hours in the project so far, and several local groups are scheduled to help out over the next few months.
"This has been a community envisioned and community driven project right from the get-go," says Nelson.
The Allen Market Place is now in the final stages of construction, and Nelson expects it's opening to take place in phases, first with The Exchange launching in May or June, the incubator kitchen around August and the market space ready for the Farmer's Market to come indoors in November.
As for the Allen Neighborhood Center itself, the new facility will exponentially expand the scope of the non-profit's work in the community. The organization has already added a new fulltime position, and further growth is expected as the programming begins.
"It's scary how much this increases our workload, actually," jokes Nelson. "We're anticipating a lot of community use of this space. We haven't even begun to think up all the projects and programs we can do there."
As those ideas and projects fall into place at the building over the next few years, one thing is certain, even before the space is ready to be occupied: the Allen Market Place will change the food system in the neighborhood, and greater Lansing area in a positive and meaningful way.
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Natalie Burg is the development news editor for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.