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Government & Civic Affairs Hartford City

Hartford City Approves $1 People's Marketplace Lease Through December

By The Blackford Ledger The Blackford Ledger

From the Hartford City Redevelopment Commission meeting on August 20, 2026

The Hartford City Redevelopment Commission approved a lease with People's Marketplace Inc. for space at 112 West Main Street, Suite E, in the Newberry Building. The lease runs through December 15, 2026, at a total rent of $1 with no utilities paid by the tenant.

The lease includes content restrictions prohibiting drug paraphernalia, merchandise promoting illicit drugs or extreme violence, and legally obscene materials. People's Marketplace must also display signs at each entrance stating the marketplace is an independent private entity with no affiliation to the Hartford City.

Tables, booths, lights, and other property purchased by the Redevelopment Commission remain commission property. In a separate 3-1 vote, the commission declared that pallet partitions belong to People's Marketplace Inc., with Clerk-Treasurer Dana Whatley voting no.

Attorney Tyler Rotstein added a right-of-entry provision during the meeting allowing the landlord to enter with 24-hour notice for inspections, with no notice required for emergencies. If property is not removed by December 15, a $500 penalty applies and the commission may discard remaining items.

The lease was approved 4-0.

Source: YouTube transcript — Hartford City - Redevelopment Commission Meeting - August 20, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.

About our reporting: The Blackford Ledger builds its government coverage from official public records, and every report is reviewed by an editor before publication. Read our Editorial Policy & Corrections or request a correction.

TAGS: Redevelopment Commission People's Marketplace Newberry Building lease agreement 112 West Main Street