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11:42 AM
JUNE 8, 2011





Community Gardens San Diego City Council Give Green Light

more soon!


VIDEO OF THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL
MEETING JUNE 7, 2011

An important day in the history of our city.

http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=4787


Added
June 7, 2011
11:11 am

STORIES

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_1c4e19ea-9155-11e0-9b0c-001cc...



On Jun 8, 2011, at 10:40 AM, A.L. ANDERSON-LAZO wrote:

P.P.S.

I didn't intend to leave anybody out of the accolades by mentioning just a few folks. We all know that a host of other people have also contributed significantly to this cause, and special kudos should go to Diane Moss and Judy Jacoby as well, and we'll tell the story in a way that recognizes everyone when we have the big party!

Best, Annie Lorrie

On Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 8:58 AM, A.L. ANDERSON-LAZO wrote:
Dear Community Garden Supporters,

I hope you have heard the great news, but here's a recap with a few links to this morning's media coverage.

The Big Win!! San Diego City Council voted unanimously to allow community gardens by right in commercial and residential zones, everywhere outside coastal areas. (We may need to do some community-based advocacy with the coastal commission in the near future.) Looks like the new ordinance should be in effect within 45 days, but we'll keep you posted!

Congratulations to all of you, and thanks for all your support, letters, phone calls, and meeting attendance over the last two years, we have an unambiguous win! And a special thank you to Parke, KK, Anchi and all of the members of the One in Ten CG Permit Committee for persistence, research, and showing San Diego what grassroots democracy can accomplish!

See News here: The Voice, The Tribune, and channel 10

and the City Council Meeting Video is here (June 7, Item number 31):
http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=4787


Best,
Annie Lorrie
General Committee Coordinator
One in Ten Healthy Food Policy Coalition

P.S. Let us know if you are planning a garden and look forward to an invitation to several garden openings and a One in Ten Party soon! (We need to celebrate and then it's on to urban ag (chicken, bees, goats?, sustainability issues, etc.) !!!


VOICE

Posted: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 3:22 pm | Updated: 5:15 pm, Tue Jun 7, 2011.
By Adrian Florido

The San Diego City Council has made it much easier to start community gardens — once banned or too expensive to permit — on most vacant land citywide.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to support removing costly permitting requirements and zoning restrictions on gardens. Now, San Diegans will be allowed to start community gardens on any piece of vacant commercial or residential land citywide, with the exception of land in coastal communities where the the California Coastal Commission still has to approve the city's new law.

Residents or nonprofits will not need a permit to start a community garden. They'll only have to follow certain rules like including a sign with the garden's name and its leader's contact information and have areas for storing equipment and trash. Farmers will have to pay for their water use, but will be allowed to sell their produce on site.

For years, advocates have been pushing for the creation of community gardens to promote local food production and healthy eating in urban communities nationwide. But in San Diego, those efforts were largely hamstrung by restrictions that banned gardens on all land zoned for commercial use and required a $5,000 deposit and lengthy permitting process for those in residential neighborhoods.

The restrictions' impacts were on full display late last year. In December, the City Council approved a lease that would have allowed a southeastern San Diego nonprofit to use a piece of city-owned land to start a community garden for residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

But the zoning restrictions did not allow it, so the land is still vacant.
In another part of southeastern San Diego, a group of Cambodian refugees farmed a piece of residential land for close to three decades before they were evicted last year for not having the legal right to be there. Re-establishing their farm has been difficult because of the zoning restrictions.

And in other neighborhoods like Hillcrest and North Park, advocates had gotten permission from private landowners to start community gardens, but the zoning restrictions prohibited them.

Two years ago, local food advocates started to lobby City Council members to change the rules, and with Tuesday's law change, their gardens will be allowed to be planted within 30 days.

Please contact Adrian Florido directly at adrian.florido@voiceofsandiego.org or at 619.325.0528 and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/adrianflorido.


SIGN ON SAN DIEGO ARTICLE

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/07/council-eases-community-garden...


Council eases community garden regulations
By Nathan Max
6:56 p.m., June 7, 2011

SAN DIEGO — Things just got a whole lot easier for city residents who want to try their hand at having a green thumb.

The City Council unanimously approved new regulations Tuesday afternoon allowing residents to start community gardens without expensive permits. The gardens can now be established in all commercial and residential zones.

“It should not be difficult to create something in a neighborhood that provides healthy, nutritious foods, that serves as a catalyst for neighborhood renewal, (and) that creates cross-cultural interactions,” Councilman Todd Gloria said. “There are so many things beyond just the food that community gardens are valuable for. Building strong neighborhoods is not necessarily about roads and sidewalks and buildings. It’s about connecting people and creating community.”

Under the new ordinance, gardens will no longer be required to have their own water meters, be fenced off or locked. It will apply to all territory east of Interstate 5 and some territory west of the freeway.

Some land west of the interstate is subject to California Coastal Commission jurisdiction. The city plans to submit its new regulations for Coastal Commission approval in the next 30 days.

“I’m looking forward to seeing this go into effect so that people who want to dig up the earth, start planting some seeds and watching them grow — and watching communities grow behind it as well — will be able to do that without having to dip deeply into their pockets,” Councilwoman Marti Emerald said. “It makes all the sense in the world.”

Twenty-one city residents spoke publicly in favor of the new regulations, and nobody came out against them. When council members voted 8-0 to enact the law, they were met with thunderous applause.

The ordinance also allows for growers to sell their produce in commercial and industrial zones, although not in residential areas.

“I’m really excited about the fact that we don’t have to ask a supermarket to come into our neighborhood to sell produce,” Council President Tony Young said. “We could sell it ourselves.”

nathan.max@uniontrib.com • (619) 718-5252 • Twitter: @natemax


CHANNEL TEN COVERAGE

http://www.10news.com/news/28163996/detail.html


SAN DIEGO -- The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to reclassify community gardens so they can be established in all property zoning types without costly permits.
The gardens, in which multiple people in a neighborhood cultivate crops, have grown in popularity in recent years, particularly among low-income urban residents who do not have their own land.
City Councilman Todd Gloria said the gardens are good for people of different cultural backgrounds to get to know each other, and they could be a catalyst for development.

"There are so many things other than food that community gardens are valuable for," Gloria said.
According to Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, acquiring the necessary permit under the old system was time-consuming and could cost as much as $50,000.
The newly passed ordinance allows gardeners to sell their crops on-site on non-residential land and frees them from needing a water meter, fencing, locks and insurance coverage.
The law will apply to land east of Interstate 5. The California Coastal Commission needs to approve the regulations for most land west of the freeway.
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