BROWARD COUNTY
Hollywood: We warned farmers market it couldn't open
Customers left empty-handed after a much-awaited farmers market in Hollywood delayed its opening Sunday. The city said owners didn't pull the required city and county permits.
By LAURA FIGUEROA
lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com
For eight months Hollywood officials warned the owners of the Yellow Green Farmer's Market that they couldn't hold their grand opening until permit violations were addressed.
Yet those warnings didn't stop the market's owners, who continued advertising the Nov. 8 opening of the outdoor venue where fresh fruits and vegetables were to be sold by hundreds of local vendors.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 potential customers poured into the market only to be turned around with notice that the market, at 1940 N. 30th Rd., was not yet cleared by the city for opening.
``To advertise when they weren't cleared for opening appears to be a waste of money and counterproductive,'' said Raelin Storey, spokeswoman for Hollywood. ``We want it to open. We think it will have tremendous potential as conceived, but the bottom line it still has to be safe.''
A day after the squandered grand opening, the property's owners and city officials had different expectations for when the 100,000-square-foot open market would be ready to sell the organic produce and homemade crafts it promised.
``Hopefully we can open over the weekend on Saturday,'' said Violeta Beaumont, administrative manager for Yellow Green. ``We've submitted everything they asked for. We're in their hands. We really want to cooperate.''
Hollywood officials say this weekend seems unlikely considering there are still permitting issues to be addressed.
Among the 29 permitting issues listed Monday in the project's records: failure to submit proper plumbing and electrical plans to be reviewed by city inspectors.
``We have no set deadline,'' Storey said. ``As soon as they provide us with the things we've been asking them, as soon as they make the changes and address the comments that have been made, we can move forward.''
On the day of the opening, owner Abraham Lalo said he was frustrated with Hollywood's mandate not to open, and raised the possibility of opening his venture outside in another city.
``It wasn't until 4:30 Friday that we got our final sentence,'' Lalo told The Miami Herald on Sunday.
However, Storey said the city had been in communication with Lalo since March concerning permitting issues. When advertisements for the November opening started sprouting up in September, the city notified project managers to set up a meeting with Hollywood's Office of Planning and Development.
After three subsequent meetings in October with city planning officials, issues including parking, landscaping and signs remained unaddressed, according to an Oct. 22 letter the city's director of planning sent to Lalo.
``All of the required improvement to the site must be completed with the benefit of permits . . . failure to do so will prevent opening on the date you currently have scheduled,'' wrote Jaye Epstein, director of Planning and Development Services.
Though Hollywood advised Lalo to stop advertising the November opening until all the permitting issues were resolved, Storey said the city couldn't prevent the market owners from advertising.
Despite having to turn away a flood of customers -- who drove from all over South Florida -- Beaumont said she thinks customers will flock back for the new farmer's market.
``It was really hard to disappoint all the people that came,'' Beaumont said. ``But most of the people have been really supportive. A lot of people were asking us what they could do to help us open up. Asking us who they could contact in the city to show support. We had more than 1,000 people come out, and we think for sure they will come back out.''
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