Smithfield’s Town Council will wait until two new members are seated in January to decide whether to follow Isle of Wight County’s lead in transferring $1.4 million to the county’s Economic Development Authority for construction of a permanent farmers market at the Grange at 10Main.

The council has seen significant turnover since it pledged the money two years ago in response to an offer by Grange developer Joseph Luter IV and his father, former Smithfield Foods Chairman Joseph Luter III, of land and $1 million conditioned on the town and county each putting up $1.4 million to move the Smithfield Farmers Market to a permanent brick structure at the 267-home mixed-use development slated for the western edge of the town’s historic district.

Isle of Wight County made good on its pledge last month by voting to officially transfer its $1.4 million contribution to the EDA, which in October agreed to serve as landlord for a structure that would include 48 covered market vendor stalls, a restaurant, public bathrooms and up to six rental retail spaces. Smithfield has yet to pass its own appropriations resolution that would transfer the town’s share.

Mary Ellen Bebermeyer, Darren Cutler and Bill Harris, who won seats in this year’s election, said at an October candidate forum that they opposed the prior council’s 2022 commitment. 

Harris, who was elected to a two-year remainder term, has already taken office. The other two will be sworn in in January for four-year terms.

“I think the town spoke when they elected whom they elected pretty loudly and indicated that they wanted a voice in the way certain things are done,” said Mayor Steve Bowman at the council’s Dec. 3 meeting, the last for members Raynard Gibbs and Randy Pack, whose terms will end Dec. 31.

Bowman referenced a Nov. 26 letter from Luter IV, which asserts his LSMP holding company for the Grange “has no interest in moving forward on this project without the support of Town Council” and “will schedule a meeting with the new Town Council once they have been sworn in.”

“In a sense of fairness to those newly elected council members and also to the town and also to you, the members of tourism, for us to allocate that only to have it snatched away from you potentially later on would be the wrong thing to do,” Bowman said, addressing representatives from the town’s and county’s shared Tourism Department and market vendors who’d spoken in support of the transfer during the portion of the meeting reserved for public comments.

Judy Eure, a vendor from Suffolk, told the council the currently seasonal weekly market held Saturday mornings in the Bank of Southside Virginia parking lot is “not ideal” for several reasons, including the lack of a long-term lease agreement with BSV. The market currently leases the parking lot on a year-to-year basis, according to Market Manager Sabrina Dooley.

“We’re on a black asphalt parking lot in the grueling hot sun with no shade and we’ve had some brutally hot days, and its really worse for the customers than it is for the vendors because we at least have our tents,” Eure said. “… They don’t really shop a lot when the heat index is 115 and we’ve seen it in our sales. We’ve had some really slow days out there because of the heat and that impacts the long-term viability for the market because the vendors pay a percentage of our sales every week and that’s what the market runs on. So if our sales are down the revenue for the market is down.”

Vendors Brian Becker and Eunice Ortiz said they too have seen their sales impacted heat and inclement weather and would prefer a covered space.

“This year we have started to have cases of heart exhaustion from both customers and vendors and we have unfortunately had to call out the rescue squad,” Dooley said.

Leah Walker, however, of the Smithfield-based Citizens for Responsible Leadership political action committee that endorsed Bebermeyer, Cutler, Harris and the reelection of Councilman Mike Smith, said she supported delaying any appropriations vote until January.

“These vendors that we have that participate in the farmers market are excited about what we have in Smithfield,” said Vice Mayor Valerie Butler. “They’re loyal. They’re dedicated. I want you to know that I am elated to hear what you’ve had to say tonight and when it comes to my participation in the discussion for the farmers market relocating I will definitely take into consideration your comments tonight.”

While Bowman said he’s inclined to support moving forward with the 2022 financial commitment his predecessor, Carter Williams, had pledged, Smith said at the October forum he no longer supports moving the market to the Grange. He and Councilman Jeff Brooks, who was elected in 2022, cast the two dissenting votes when the council voted 3-2 last December to approve mixed-use zoning and multiple special use permits to allow the proposed market, single-family homes, apartments and a hotel.