After a fire gutted Eastern Market last April, the stretch of 7th Street SE adjacent to the market building was closed off on weekends to accommodate vendors, construction of the temporary East Hall and reconstruction of the South Hall. In an interview on WTOP (link to audiostream) last week, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells said he wants to keep 7th Street that way. The Hill picked up the story on Wednesday, and the Hilleast neighborhood listserv has been buzzing on the topic since.

At issue are vendor complaints that the weekend closings of 7th Street hurt their businesses; customers aren’t able to drive to the market and park. Wells believes that keeping the street closed will promote a livable and walkable community, a theme which helped him win his spot on the D.C. Council. The market is safer with 7th Street closed, according to Wells, because kids aren’t hurt by “darting into the street.”

Parking is at a premium in Eastern Market’s surrounding neighborhoods, especially on weekends when outdoor vendors are added to the mix. During the interview, Wells said,

There’s no reason … that someone who is not from the neighborhood should be able to park there all day. We really need to move cars along, have a maximum two hours and really charge a premium. This is done in other cities, it’s called performance parking.

He added that increasing meter fees on Pennsylvania Avenue during the weekends could be a way to charge that premium.

One of the vendors is skeptical of Wells’ safety claims. Agora Farms owner Dan Donahue, who sells apples and apple cider from a tent on the street, told the Hill, “there hasn’t been an accident on 7th Street in 17 years,” despite 7th Street being open.

Reaction from members of the Hilleast listserve to the street closure is mixed. Some applaud the move, while others see it as a threat to the survival of Eastern Market.

photo by ohad*