Here is an interesting LA Times article about urban farming, written by Lee Romney, and shared by an Eden By The Bay reader: Across the Bay Area, urban farming is in season. The article describes a legal urban farm that is operating in the San Francisco city limits. Two enterprising women run the small commercial farm, Little City Gardens. This is possible because they challenged the San Francisco Planning Code, and the San Francisco Planning Commission revised the code! The revision enables small parcels of land to be used to grow horticultural crops and sell them within the city limits. According to the article, Oakland and Berkeley are also revising their city planning codes for urban agriculture.
This seems like a great idea - small urban farms close to the people they serve. It saves fuel, provides delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables to city residents, and provides a respite green zone in the cityscape. This could pave the way for more community or roof top gardens for restaurants, homeless shelters, and apartment dwellers. Without zoning changes, it may be illegal to sell or give away produce from your garden, or to grow vegetables in your front yard! Some oversight would be beneficial, to ensure soil is not polluted, and harmful chemicals are not used. But overall this seems like a great idea.
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| Little City Gardens green house (photo by David Silver, under Creative Commons non-commercial license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsilver/5438375239/) |
This seems like a great idea - small urban farms close to the people they serve. It saves fuel, provides delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables to city residents, and provides a respite green zone in the cityscape. This could pave the way for more community or roof top gardens for restaurants, homeless shelters, and apartment dwellers. Without zoning changes, it may be illegal to sell or give away produce from your garden, or to grow vegetables in your front yard! Some oversight would be beneficial, to ensure soil is not polluted, and harmful chemicals are not used. But overall this seems like a great idea.
To read the ordinance: http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/planning/article1generalzoningprovisions?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_102.35
1 comment:
I agree that it seems like a great idea to revise the code. I didn't even know such a thing existed. I thought we lived in a "free" country. hahahahaha! I love urban gardening and would love to do it. But you know...every time my husband does yard work he wants to sell the house.
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