Hillsdale Farmers’ Market and HNA Team Up to Safeguard Market’s Future
- Hillsdale News
- Sep 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 10, 2025
[September 10, 2025]
Hillsdale’s Farmers’ Market is more than a place to shop on Sundays — it’s a community gathering spot, a boost for local businesses, a source of fresh food close to home, and a place to teach kids about nutrition, cooking, and even budgeting. That’s why the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association (HNA) and Market managers were surprised to learn that Portland Public Schools might not renew the Market’s lease during the upcoming Wells High School campus rebuild.
Despite past support from PPS planning staff for keeping the Market in place, HNA and Market leaders learned just last month that the district’s real estate office intends to require the Market to vacate its longtime home in the Wells west parking lot by October 2026. Construction is tentatively set to begin the following month.
Market Manager Lacey Waldon believes the Market could operate safely on Sundays, when construction is inactive, or temporarily shift to another part of the property. Previous zoning questions have been resolved, meaning the Market could operate from the Rieke end of the lot if needed.
The challenges
At the September meeting of the HNA, Waldon outlined the challenges of relocating the Market. “There is no easy, close-in site that meets of all our needs.” A potential new site must be level, accessible to both vendor trucks and shoppers, with a hard surface for winter use. “All of these are essential to the success of the Market,” she said, emphasizing that the best place for the Market is in its current location.
More details are available in a position summary here.
The PPS real estate office has not responded to questions about their plan to close the parking lot—would the road through the parking lot be closed to all car and pedestrian traffic for three years? What about parking for Rieke staff and visitors and users of the Parks and Rec turf field located at Rieke?
Students will remain on campus during construction. The public pool is also expected to remain open during the summer.
Impacts of a parking lot closure for the Market and beyond
Waldon has told the Hillsdale News that the cost of a move would be difficult for the Market to sustain financially, and that a move back after three years would tax the Market even further, making a return less likely.
The Market attracts approximately 2,000 customers from across SW Portland each Sunday during the weekly season (markets are held bi-weekly from December to March), and is an anchor business for the Hillsdale commercial area. Removing an anchor business could have serious economic implications for the remaining small businesses in Hillsdale, according to Don Baack, HNA president and board member of the Hillsdale Business and Professional Association.
Market vendors donate significant quantities of food each week to the Neighborhood House Food Pantry, which serves many SW children and neighbors.
The 6.3-mile Regional Hillsdale to Lake Oswego Trail (know as the HI-LO Trail) grand opening is scheduled for early 2026. The HI-LO trail passes through the parking lot where the Market is held. A closure of that area would affect this trail, as well as Urban Trail 3, which connects the Willamette River to the Fanno Creek Trail in Garden Home.
Recommended action
At the September HNA meeting, school board member Christy Splitt said she believes a solution is possible to keep the Market in place and recommended an email campaign to PPS staff and officials. District 4 Councilor Olivia Clark agreed, calling a grassroots email campaign “the way to go,” while pledging to coordinate a joint letter from all three District 4 councilors and the mayor in support of the Market.
The message from community leaders was clear: strong neighbor response could make all the difference.
HNA is a partner in the effort
In response to the potential parking lot closure and its impacts, HNA has created a Keep the Market and Trails Committee. Email hillsdalepdxna@gmail.com to join the committee; all are welcome.
HNA has become reinvigorated following a period of several years of inactivity. Since July, five new volunteers have joined the Board, two more were appointed in August, and membership has grown by 170. The group has resumed regular meetings, hosted its first National Night Out since 2019, and launched a new website with an online membership form.
Meetings, open to all, are held on the first Wednesday of the month, in a hybrid format (in-person and over Zoom).
The Farmers’ Market is just one example of why Hillsdale needs a strong, active voice. The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association is a place where neighbors can come together to share ideas, solve problems, and advocate for what matters most.
What you can do
Email Portland Public Schools staff and officials. Find message suggestions here.
Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, Superintendent — karmstrong@pps.net
Dr. Jon Franco, Senior Chief of Operations/Facilities — jfranco@pps.net
Deborah Kafoury, Chief of Staff — dkafoury@pps.net
PPS School Board — schoolboard@pps.net
CLICK HERE to populate one email addressed to those listed above
Complete the Farmers’ Market Community Survey
Join the Keep the Market and Trails Committee
Spread the word: Share this article with your friends, neighbors, and other market supporters.
—Valeurie Friedman
Quesions? Further thoughts? Let us know.
