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Hi all,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
CC members, can you decide after folks comment?<br>
<br>
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?<br>
<br>
The legislation text can be found at
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.sfuaa.org/uploads/4/8/9/3/4893022/_sf_urban_agriculture_zoning_proposal_full.pdf">http://www.sfuaa.org/uploads/4/8/9/3/4893022/_sf_urban_agriculture_zoning_proposal_full.pdf</a><br>
<br>
Here is Casey's email:<br>
<p>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 <span>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 wit<span>h </span><span>the
Green Party</span><span> and </span>yourself about how we may
be able to improve on this great proposal<span> and to see if </span><span>the
Green Party</span><span> could support us in asking the city
for a better policy</span>. Here is the link to review the<span>
city’s</span> proposal: </span></p>
<p><span><a
href="http://www.sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7437">http://www.sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7437</a><br>
</span></p>
<p><span>Check out the SFUAA’s website info page: <a
href="http://www.sfuaa.org/urban-ag-zoning-proposal.html">http://www.sfuaa.org/urban-ag-zoning-proposal.html</a>
</span></p>
<p><span>Here is a write up/press release of the group’s concerns:</span><b><span>
</span></b></p>
<p><b><span>Urban Agriculture Alliance Applauds Introduction of
Proposed Urban Agriculture Zoning Changes </span></b></p>
<p><i><span>New regulations would open more land to community
gardens and </span></i></p>
<p><i><span>help city farms be economically viable, but amendments
are needed </span></i></p>
<p><br>
<span>San Francisco, CA – Yesterday, Mayor Gavin Newsom and the
San Francisco Planning Department introduced an ordinance that
would </span>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.<span>
</span></p>
<p>“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.” </p>
<p><span>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 </span>“change
of use” fee structure would require urban agriculture projects to
pay more than $300 before they could begin any work. <span>The
SFUAA encourages the Planning Commission to remove any mention
of a fencing requirement and waive the change of use fees for
urban agriculture. </span></p>
<p><span>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. </span></p>
<p><span>For city farmers starting small businesses, being able to
sell what you grow is critical. </span>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.” </p>
<p><span>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.</span><br>
</p>
<p>“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.” </p>
<p>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.” <span> </span></p>
<p>### </p>
<p><i><span>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. </span></i></p>
<p><i><span>More information on the San Francisco Urban Agriculture
Alliance can be found at: <a href="http://www.sfuaa.org">www.sfuaa.org</a>
</span></i></p>
<p><span>Let me know if there is a good time we can talk. I would
like to set up a meeting, if possible.</span><span> </span><span>I
don’t think anyone from our group has approached the Green Party
yet.</span><span> </span></p>
<p>Thanks, </p>
<p><b>Casey Allen</b>, Permaculture Designer, Maintenance Manager </p>
<p>Qualified Bay-Friendly Design Professional, SF Naturalist </p>
<p><b>San Francisco Landscapes Corporation</b> CA Lic # 932022 </p>
<p>P.O. Box 170182 SF, CA 94117 </p>
<p>Cell: 415-572-1144 </p>
<p>Office: 415-585-9137 </p>
<p>E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Casey@SFLandscapes.com">Casey@SFLandscapes.com</a> </p>
<p>Web: SFLandscapes.com </p>
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