[Sustain] Call For SFGP Support Of SF Urban Ag Legislation

[Eric Brooks]

Hi all,

See the email below from Casey Allen who would like the SF Green Party 
to endorse new legislation supporting local urban agriculture in the 
City. Casey also would like our support for three proposed amendments to 
make the measure even stronger.

Please read below and voice any concerns/support. The measure goes 
before the Planning Commission on Thursday Feb 17th, so we need to 
approve this before then.

CC members, can you decide after folks comment?

Also, I may not be able to attend that Planning Commission hearing when 
that item comes up around 1:30pm, so if one of you is a strong supporter 
of local urban ag, can you commit to speak on behalf of SF Green Party?

The legislation text can be found at 
http://www.sfuaa.org/uploads/4/8/9/3/4893022/_sf_urban_agriculture_zoning_proposal_full.pdf

Here is Casey's email:

I hope the new year is going well.  As you know I own and run a 
landscaping company and we grow food for some folk.  My company is part 
of a national trend, urban agriculture.  I and others are really happy 
to see that the planning dept has released a proposed change to the 
city’s zoning to allow commercial small scale farming.  We think this is 
great and this will allow us to sell the food we are growing and this is 
a big improvement.  I am part of a group called the San Francisco Urban 
Agriculture Alliance and we have recently come together to promote 
commercial agriculture as well as non-commercial agriculture in SF.  I 
would like to start a conversation with the Green Partyand yourself 
about how we may be able to improve on this great proposaland to see if 
the Green Partycould support us in asking the city for a better policy.  
Here is the link to review thecity’s proposal:

http://www.sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7437

Check out the SFUAA’s website info page: 
http://www.sfuaa.org/urban-ag-zoning-proposal.html

Here is a write up/press release of the group’s concerns:**

*Urban Agriculture Alliance Applauds Introduction of Proposed Urban 
Agriculture Zoning Changes *

/New regulations would open more land to community gardens and /

/help city farms be economically viable, but amendments are needed /


San Francisco, CA – Yesterday, Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco 
Planning Department introduced an ordinance that would amend the 
Planning Code to allow for greater food production within the city.  The 
proposal would update San Francisco’s zoning regulations to explicitly 
permit gardens in all areas of the city and also allow for the sale of 
produce from those gardens.   While the San Francisco Urban Agriculture 
Alliance applauds the Mayor and Planning Department for introducing this 
forward-thinking legislation, the group is concerned about a number of 
provisions that could make garden projects prohibitively expensive and 
limit their potential.

“The Planning Department’s proposal is a great step forward, but some of 
the draft provisions could hinder the expansion of gardening that the 
City wants to encourage,” said Eli Zigas, co-coordinator of the San 
Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance (SFUAA).   “Community gardens and 
urban farms operate on slim budgets and expensive fencing requirements 
and permitting fees can prevent a garden project from breaking ground.  
We encourage the Planning Commission to ensure that community groups and 
city farmers across San Francisco can afford to start gardens and urban 
agriculture projects in their neighborhoods.”

Advocates are specifically calling on the Planning Commission to amend 
the proposed ordinance to reduce its costs.  The proposal requires that 
any fencing around a garden site must be either wooden or ornamental 
fencing. The addition of significant start-up costs to meet this 
requirement could deter a project from turning a vacant lot into a 
vibrant new greenspace or a project that would provide a source of 
fresh, nutritious food in a neighborhood lacking access to good produce 
options. Similarly, the Planning Department’s existing “change of use” 
fee structure would require urban agriculture projects to pay more than 
$300 before they could begin any work. The SFUAA encourages the Planning 
Commission to remove any mention of a fencing requirement and waive the 
change of use fees for urban agriculture.

With this legislation, San Francisco will be the first major American 
city to modify its zoning to encourage the sale of produce from urban 
gardens and farms. Similar legislation to allow for on-site sales of 
city-grown produce became law this year in both Seattle and Kansas City 
and a proposal is currently being considered in Berkeley.

For city farmers starting small businesses, being able to sell what you 
grow is critical. Little City Gardens, which cultivates a three-quarter 
acre garden in the Mission Terrace neighborhood, cannot sell any of the 
greens or herbs it grows because of restrictions in the current zoning 
code.  “This proposal is crucial for the success of commercial urban 
farming in San Francisco,” said Little City Garden’s co-owner Caitlyn 
Galloway. “We want to demonstrate the viability of market gardening here 
in San Francisco, but we can’t do that until we’re allowed to sell what 
we grow.  And we can’t sell from our farm until this proposal passes.”

For San Francisco to truly position itself at the leading edge of urban 
agriculture, the SFUAA urges the Planning Commission to amend the 
proposal to allow gardens and farms to pool together their harvest and 
also allow them to sell value-added products made from their produce.

“As it’s written now, the proposal would allow an urban farmer to sell 
their strawberries on the farm, but not their strawberry jam,” Zigas 
explained. “Expanding the proposal to allow for on-site sales of 
value-added products as well as produce from multiple sites would help 
small urban farms make the most of their harvest and make San 
Francisco’s policy an innovative model for the rest of the country.”

The positive impact of the proposal would stretch beyond creating new 
greenspace and supporting new urban farming businesses.  “This zoning 
legislation is crucial for the health of San Francisco. Urban farming 
and community gardens not only provide residents with access to healthy 
non-toxic produce, but they help engage people in personal nutrition and 
can improve the health of the entire community. It’s easy for people to 
become removed from our food sources and those who produce our food," 
said Dana Perls, community organizer with Pesticide Watch. "This 
proposal offers San Franciscans more spaces to produce their own food.  
With the SFUAA’s proposed amendments, the new zoning code will be an 
investment in healthy communities.”

###

/The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance (SFUAA) seeks to increase 
the amount of food grown within San Francisco and promote greater access 
to and consumption of that food through advocacy, education, and 
grassroots action. We pursue our mission by leveraging the strengths of 
our members, building bonds with other organizations and government 
agencies, and promoting healthy food cultures. /

/More information on the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance can be 
found at: www.sfuaa.org <http://www.sfuaa.org> /

Let me know if there is a good time we can talk.  I would like to set up 
a meeting, if possible.I don’t think anyone from our group has 
approached the Green Party yet.

Thanks,

*Casey Allen*, Permaculture Designer, Maintenance Manager

Qualified Bay-Friendly Design Professional, SF Naturalist

*San Francisco Landscapes Corporation* CA Lic # 932022

P.O. Box 170182 SF, CA 94117

Cell: 415-572-1144

Office: 415-585-9137

E-mail: Casey at SFLandscapes.com

Web: SFLandscapes.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.sfgreens.org/pipermail/sustainability/attachments/20110208/bb8a533c/attachment.htm>