TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Councilmember Peter Ortiz
Councilmember David Cohen
Councilmember George Casey
Councilmember Pamela Campos
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: May 9, 2025
Approved
Date:
May 9, 2025
SUBJECT: Berryessa Flea Market Status Report
RECOMMENDATION
1. Accept the report.
2. Report back through an informational memorandum in Quarter 1 2026 on findings and a more precise timeline of relocation.
a. Deliverables to include, but not be limited to:
i. Ongoing work through the Surplus Land Act.
ii. Developer Engagement.
iii. Further explore the viability of the recommended sites. iv. Updates on other potential partner agencies’ involvement
1. Including but not limited to continuing to engage with VTA and BART on potential locations along their right of way at the Berryessa BART station.
v. Identifying necessary interdepartmental collaboration from other city departments.
DISCUSSION
The work around supporting vendors of the Berryessa Flea Market, as new development has been approved on its current location, is unprecedented. With thousands of vendors relying on the Berryessa Flea Market to conduct business and provide for their families, it is imperative that vendors have opportunities to continue to operate once development at the Berryessa location officially begins. As things stand, vendors are experiencing a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the future of their businesses.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 5/13/2025
FILE: 25-497
ITEM: 8.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
May 9, 2025
Subject: Berryessa Flea Market Status Report
There is an ongoing need to secure an alternative site that can accommodate a public market at scale, necessary legislative activity around a Surplus Land Act exemption specifically for the Singleton Site for a new flea market, as well as an environmental analysis and identifying other pieces of work to further this initiative. This is indeed a comprehensive workplan and we as signers of this memo want to assure vendors and the community at large that we as a City are approaching this work with the seriousness it deserves.
In terms of desired outcomes, we are ultimately looking forward to seeing a collaborative approach between the city and stakeholders including vendor stakeholders and representatives such as the Berryessa Flea Market Association that continues to move the needle on the various buckets of work needed to move this initiative forward, so vendors have the support and opportunities they need in San Jose.
We would like to thank staff and specifically the Office of Economic Development for all their work on this thus far, we look forward to having dedicated city attention to this matter so that we are doing everything possible to support vendors in this City.