20MAY2009

Zoning Change Would Allow for Community Garden

On Monday, City Council approved initiating a zoning change that would permit less-intense urban garden uses in all zoning districts, while requiring a conditional-use permit for higher-intensity gardens. On Tuesday, we posted a news release about changes.

This has prompted some questions from a few citizens. Some have perceived this change as the City attempting to regulate the garden in your backyard. That, of course, is not what's going on. Here are a couple of questions we received today, followed by our reply. The proposed change is coming as a result of a citizen request.

What is the difference between a low intensity garden and a more intense garden? Why this amendment at this time?

A couple that owns property located in west Springfield approached the Planning Department because they were interested in starting a community garden on their property.

Their property is zoned residential and a retail rezoning would not be possible because it is surrounded by residential zoning. Their vision is to have a “subscription” program where a customer could reserve a certain quantity of produce to pick up at an on-site stand, as well as selling fresh local produce to restaurants or at farmer’s markets. The current City Zoning Ordinance does not allow “agricultural uses” for a business operation on less than 20 acres unless the property has been grandfathered in.

Because of this couple’s inquiry, as well as the general growing interest in community gardening, etc., the Planning Department wanted to develop a way to accommodate this type of land use in a residentially zoned area. The intent is to see if this type of zoning could be developed and accepted by the community, Planning & Zoning and the City Council.

This has no effect on home gardeners who grow produce and share or pool on some informal basis that doesn’t involve a retail stand/greenhouse/additional traffic, etc. It also will only address crop gardening, not raising animals.

The conditional use being explored for high-intensity uses would apply to situations where someone may want to do something along these lines on larger pieces of property approaching that 20-acre size. It’s possible that with a piece of property that large, the owner/operator may want to use heavier machinery and that could create noise issues in residential neighborhoods in particular. While that is not the intent of this couple’s project, the Planning Department thought it would be worth considering other scenarios for this type of zoning amendment.

The action Council took on Monday simply starts the process of creating this type of zoning. Daniel Neal, the planner assigned to this project, says the couple intends to speak about their goals at the public hearings to be held before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, July 9, and before City Council on Monday, July 27. (Both begin at 7 p.m.) A staff report describing the proposed amendment in detail will be delivered to the Planning and Zoning Commission and made available to the public on Thursday, July 2, 2009.

Neal said the couple understands that they may only be able to do late-season planting this year if this moves forward, but that they are looking toward the future because they moved here from an area where sustainable gardening was more common and want to see it happen more in Springfield.

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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