On a Friday in late fall, the parking lot behind Raritan Avenue between South 2nd and South 3rd Avenues fills with farm tables from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Melick's Town Farm, Zell's Farm, Union Hill Farms and Jeff's Organic Produce are on the 2026 vendor roster, and the market runs every Friday through December 11. The same lot hosts the Owl Holiday Markets in late November and early December, and Main Street Highland Park pointed sellers there during October's Townwide Garage Sale.
On October 20, the Borough Council took the step that decides what that lot becomes. Over the next few years, two separate projects will set the market's schedule. They are on different timelines, and the market will have to bridge the gap between them.
What the October 20 vote set in motion
The lot belongs to Tract C. That's the borough's name for Block 2202, the 15 properties between Raritan Avenue and Magnolia Street, midway between South 2nd and South 3rd Avenues. It takes in 202 to 240 Raritan Avenue, the Main Street Highland Park office, and the rear parking lot used for the Farmers Market and other community events.
The council first picked 232 Raritan Avenue, LLC, part of Garden Homes, as conditional redeveloper in 2022. On September 15, 2026, it made the designation official and authorized a redevelopment agreement. Then on October 20, it adopted Ordinance 26-2140. The ordinance authorizes a long-term tax exemption and the sale of the borough-owned properties in the project area to the redeveloper, according to the borough's Take 5 briefing on that meeting.
Here is what the agreement materials describe for the site:
- 134 rental homes, 20 of them affordable
- About 14,000 square feet of commercial space: a 7,000-square-foot restaurant, 4,500 square feet of retail and 2,500 square feet of office
- 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor public space, including a furnished covered outdoor area connected to indoor community space
- 258 parking spaces, 40 of them public
- A landscaped, lit walkway from Raritan Avenue through to Magnolia Street, plus public art and streetscape improvements
The September project schedule set aside October and November 2026 for site plan review. It then allows 12 months after a non-appealable site plan approval to get the other government approvals, with the property closing one month after those approvals. Construction is due to finish within 24 months of starting. Every date after the vote depends on when the Planning Board approves a site plan.
The market's permanent home is across the street, on a slower timeline
The borough's long-term plan for the market is Borough Square, a public space on South 3rd Avenue. The borough calls it a "permanent location for the Highland Park Farmers' Market," and a place for community events, cultural programs and informal recreation, with seating, shade, landscaping and ADA-compliant paths.
The idea isn't new. The borough's August grant announcement quotes the project proposal:
The idea of creating additional public space on or near Raritan Ave. "has been part of the public discussion in Highland Park for more than 20 years."
The announcement traces the idea from the 2003 Master Plan through the 2021 Downtown Redevelopment Plan. The current Downtown Redevelopment Plan, adopted in February 2026, explains how it ended up across the street. A town square on the present Farmers Market site "would have severely limited the redevelopment potential" of the borough-owned land on Tract C. So the plan moved the market to the stretch of South 3rd Avenue once closed for "Town Tables," with the municipal lot on South 3rd for overflow. Because Raritan Avenue is a state highway, that move needed the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The borough has since obtained the permit to build a plaza there.
The money comes in pieces. The $1.5 million award comes from the Middlesex County Open Space, Recreation, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. It's paid in three $500,000 installments across fiscal years 2026, 2027 and 2028. Construction is estimated at $3.74 million, so the county grant covers about 40 percent. The borough expects to finish Borough Square "within three years." In August, Citizen Portal reported that drainage design, a boundary survey and a soil conservation permit were still needed before the plaza would be ready for construction.
The digging on South 3rd Avenue right now is a separate project, a water main replacement with sewer and lighting work. At the October 20 meeting, the council noted a $2,550 contract reduction after inspectors found that one service line on the street did not need replacing, according to Citizen Portal. A resident at that meeting also raised dust control, Citizen Portal reported.
| Tract C, the current market lot | Borough Square, the planned market home | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Block 2202, between Raritan Ave. and Magnolia St. | South 3rd Avenue at Raritan Avenue |
| Status as of late October 2026 | Redeveloper designated; Ordinance 26-2140 adopted Oct. 20 | County grant awarded; design and permit work still pending as of August |
| Next step | Planning Board site plan review, scheduled for Oct.–Nov. 2026 | Drainage design, boundary survey, soil conservation permit |
| Funding or timing anchor | 24-month build after construction starts | $500,000 a year in FY2026, FY2027, FY2028 |
| Stated finish | Not fixed; depends on approvals and financing | "Within three years" |
The gap in between is where the market lives
If Tract C reaches closing and construction before Borough Square is built, the market needs somewhere to go in the meantime. At the October 20 hearing, several residents told the council the market is essential to food security and to local small businesses. They warned that moving or interrupting it would hurt SNAP shoppers and vendors, Citizen Portal reported. The council said it intends to keep market programming going in temporary locations during construction. Residents also asked for an independent valuation of the property, according to Citizen Portal's account of the vote.
No temporary site has been named, and Main Street Highland Park has not posted a 2027 season yet.
The food access concern has numbers behind it. The market takes SNAP/EBT, and SNAP shoppers can get up to $25 a week in matching Good Food Bucks. It also accepts food pantry vouchers, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits. A move of even a block or two changes how people get to the market, and the borough's own redevelopment plan says the market has a parking problem. It lists "a lack of consolidated parking near major attractions, like the Farmers Market" among downtown's challenges. The Tract C design partly answers that with 40 public parking spaces in a 258-space project.
What's still on the lot this season
None of the redevelopment changes the 2026 calendar. Main Street Highland Park's schedule for the lot and the blocks around it:
- Fridays through December 11: the Farmers Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in November and December.
- Saturday, November 28, 4 to 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 29, noon to 4 p.m.: Small Business Weekend and the tree lighting, with local artisan vendors, food, caroling, live music, a gingerbread house contest and a Santa visit. Main Street has not posted a time for the tree lighting yet.
- November 28–29 and December 5–6: the Owl Holiday Markets in the municipal lot between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, next to 212 Raritan Avenue. Hours are 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
- Sunday, December 6: the Downtown Menorah Lighting.
The next decisions to watch
Two things will show how long the market stays on its current lot. The first is the Planning Board's review of the Tract C site plan, scheduled for this fall. The 12-month approval period only starts once that approval can no longer be appealed. The second is Borough Square getting through drainage design, the boundary survey and the soil conservation permit, all of which have to happen before construction can start. The borough posts updates on its Tract C redevelopment page and in its Take 5 council briefings. Main Street Highland Park's Farmers Market page is where a 2027 schedule and any temporary location will be posted.
Downtown projects like Tract C and Borough Square change what nearby streets look like, and over time they can change how buyers see homes within walking distance of Raritan Avenue. If you own near the Raritan Avenue core and want to know how these plans could affect your home's value, Links NJ can put together a current, block-level picture. Request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it.
