Stakes raised over farmers' market street closure

WASHINGTON - The stakes are being raised when it comes to closing a busy road near the White House for a farmers' market.

The Office of First Lady Michelle Obama is supporting a request to periodically close a section of Vermont Avenue - not far from the White House - for a farmers' market.

Freshfarm Markets is asking that Vermont Avenue NW between H and I streets be closed every Thursday between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. - a stretch of time that would cover the entire afternoon rush hour.

In August, the president talked about getting a farmers' market started just outside of the White House.

"You know Michelle set up that garden in the White House," President Obama said. "One of the things we're trying to do now is to figure out, can we get a little farmers' market outside of the White House - I'm not going to have all y'all just tromping around - but right outside the White House."

Local residents have expressed concern about the traffic impacts of the road closure for this market.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who represents Ward 2 - where the farmers' market would be held - isn't thrilled with the idea of a rush-hour road closure either. But he tells WTOP he has a solution.

"If we are to go down this road, (we need to) look at reopening E Street, NW behind the White House," says Evans. "Reopening E Street would alleviate any traffic concerns we would have from closing Vermont Avenue."

After Sept.11, 2001, E Street on the south side of the White House was closed for security reasons. But Evans says the east-west connection isn't doing any good being closed.

"Pennsylvania Avenue (being closed) was hard to justify, E Street can not be justified," he says. "If you drive there today, it is being used as a parking lot by the people who work at the White House, for the Secret Service and at the Old Executive Office Building, which is not a security issue. It really needs to be reopened."

In the meantime, more details are emerging about when this new farmers' market would be set up.

A permit submitted to the D.C. Department of Transportation shows that the market would run every Thursday between Sept. 17 and Oct. 29. While Vermont Avenue would be closed from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., the actual farmers' market would operate between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The permit to shut down the road has not yet been approved.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)