Holland, MI (2003)
Client: City of Holland
Holland, so named by Dutch immigrants who settled the town in 1847, is beautifully situated nearby the shores of Lake Michigan. It is a charming small town with a reviving commercial and cultural district and hosts the world famous Tulip Festival in the spring with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of bulbs blooming along roadways, in parks, in gardens both on public and private property.
Holland was originally an agricultural economy and today, the Holland Farmers Market is a stalwart reminder of that legacy. The market operates on the parking lot in front of the Civic Center – farmers sell out of the backs of trucks or from tables. The area produces some of the finest ‘stone fruit’ in the country.
The city asked PPS to assist them in evaluating existing market operations, to critique design plans for permanent market sheds and to suggest additional public uses for the new sheds which will serve as an important gateway into the downtown.