Renton residents and visitors will have more places to shop this summer as new farmers market is coming to Valley Medical Center.

The Farmers Market at Valley Medical Center will be held on 15 Sundays, June 12 through Sept 18.

VMC approached the City of Renton last fall about establishing a market on its campus. The idea was to provide a convenient place to provide nutritious, wholesome natural foods for the more that 5,000 employees, physicians, volunteers, patient families and neighbors in the community surrounding the main campus.

“This endeavor supports our board goals to sponsor wellness efforts and community outreach programs that support the overall health of our community,” said Kim Blakeley, VMC public information officer.

At the City Council meeting on Feb. 7, the City of Renton agreed to establish the farmers market with a $15,000 payment from VMC for development of the market, regulatory and permit procurement, coordination and supervision of vendors and marketing and outreach activities.

The city has also hired a new farmers-market coordinator who will work on the project, as well as oversee the long-running farmers market in downtown Renton on Tuesdays.

Valria Lopez, who is a vendor and on the board of the Des Moines Farmer’s Market, will start March 1 as the coordinator. She was hired because of her significant corporate experience in planning, organizing and working with a wide range of people and will join the city’s economic development team.

“We believe the downtown market, with its 4,000-plus weekly customers and 50-plus vendors, will remain strong and that the VMC market will provide opportunities to attract new customers who might also then patronize the downtown market,” said Suzanne Dale Estey, director of economic development for the City of Renton.

The market is designed to be self-sustaining through market revenues and sponsorships, including the partnership with VMC.

“The city is excited to work with Valley Medical Center to add to what is already a strong farmers market program in Renton,” said Dale Estey. “Farmers markets add to Renton’s vibrancy and promote wellness – we are optimistic that this new partnership will create new opportunities for our residents and businesses, while also supporting sustainability.”

The market will be located in Valley’s parking lot, but its exact location has yet to be determined.