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

Fri Feb 11 10:59:19 PST 2011

Hello Fellow Greens,

Here is the SFUAA's letter to Rec and Park in support of HANC at it's current location. Kevin Bayuk is one of the founding members of the SFUAA.  Our intention is to open urban gardening and selling one produce from ones garden as a legitimate business operation in SF. I don't think the garden resource center proposed will be a business operation/selling food on site, which is what this zoning change will allow.  I don't think there is a connection except that if this were to pass and HANC replaced by the garden resource center sales of produce could one day happen there.  Sales of food grown on site would be a good thing in our opinion.

http://www.sfuaa.org/hanc-recycling-center.html

Letter to SF Recreation and Park Department Regarding the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council
November 5, 2010

General Manager Phil Ginsburg
San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
501 Stanyan Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Subject: Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery

Dear General Manager Ginsburg:

It has come to our attention through articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and through a press release about the possibility of your department evicting the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council (HANC) Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery located at 780 Frederick St., and replacing it with a garden resource center or community garden.  The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance (SFUAA) is both firmly in support of garden resource centers and in support of continued operation of the HANC Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery. 

The HANC Recycling Center, at that location, is already providing enormous benefit to the gardening and urban agriculture community in San Francisco by fully funding and operating the Native Plant Nursery, by donating tons of cardboard for sheet mulch for urban agriculture projects like Hayes Valley Farm, by offering garden education workshops and classes, and by acting as a garden resource distribution point for compost for events like the 10/10/10 SF 350 Kitchen Garden Challenge.  We are firmly in support of its continued tenancy and operation at 780 Frederick St., providing such garden services in addition to the community benefits of acting as a Bottle Bill redemption site for recyclers; a resource for residential fats, oils and grease recycling to protect our sewer system and home compost piles; and as a contributor to the city's overall zero waste goals. 

Recently, the SFUAA Policy Working Group worked with the Mayor’s office to compile, analyze, and offer recommendations of best uses for underutilized city-owned land to the Food Policy Council, as identified in the recent land audit ordered by Mayor Newsom’s Executive Directive on “Healthy and Sustainable Food”.  The SFUAA recommended prioritizing garden resource centers and community gardens, including some on Recreation and Park Department land, in order to maximize food production in San Francisco.

The SFUAA supports equal access to food production and believes a new garden resource center would best serve San Francisco if it was in a location that currently did not currently have a garden resource center.  The Inner Sunset neighborhood is fortunate enough to have Garden for the Environment, at 7th and Lawton, which currently serves the Inner Sunset neighborhood.  Currently, a number of neighborhoods lack a garden resource center or an adequate supply of community garden space, therefore we suggest that instead of evicting the HANC Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery, more support and priority be given to garden resource centers in under-served areas of San Francisco. 

We request that you reconsider any plans to evict the HANC Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery and instead support the establishment of garden resource centers in higher need neighborhoods in San Francisco.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Martin-Craig, Antonio Roman-Alcala, & Eli Zigas
Co-coordinators of the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance

cc:  Mayor Gavin Newsom
      Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi
      Recreation and Park Commission
      HANC Recycling Committee

-----Original Message-----
From: sustainability-bounces at sfgreens.org [mailto:sustainability-bounces at sfgreens.org] On Behalf Of Eric Brooks
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 12:55 AM
Cc: GPSF Sustainability Working Group; SFGP CC; Green Active list
Subject: Re: [Sustain] [SFGP CC] Call For SFGP Support Of SF Urban Ag Legislation

I don't believe this legislation impacts the HANC center at all. It only 
opens up more freedom to start urban farms.

However, I'll forward the concern to Casey and see if there is a conflict.

On 2/10/2011 8:17 PM, Bruce Wolfe wrote:
> I know a lot about this and request we move slow on this considering the HANC Recycling Center. Alos, I know the lead person on this effort in the city, Kevin Bayuk, my next door neighbor.
>
> Bruce
>
> Sent from Samsung mobile
>
> Eric Brooks<brookse32 at aim.com>  wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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