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SR-301-005-06 (2) e .- ~CitYOf Santa Moniea@ City Council Report City Council Meeting: December 5,2006 Agenda Item: ~ To: Mayor and City Council Members From: Barbara Stinchfield, Community and Cultural Services Director Subject: Status Report on the Community Gardens Program, Options for Additional Community Gardening Opportunities and Recommended Ban on Genetically Engineered Plants Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Review and comment on options for developing increased community garden opportunities in the City; and 2. Implement a ban on genetically engineered plants In the City's Community Gardens Program. Executive Summary In November 2005, City Council adopted new rules and regulations for the operation of the City's Community Gardens Program for implementation on January 1, 2006. Staff was asked to work with the Recreation and Parks Commission to identify opportunities for expanding the number of Community Garden sites in the City and return to Council within one year with a status report and information on the turn-over rate of gardeners following the implementation of the new rules and regulations. In addition, City Council requested that staff investigate adding a ban on the use of genetically engineered plants 1 in the gardens as part of the rules and regulations. Information regarding genetically engineered plants indicates that the effects of these plants are still unknown and there are many concerns regarding their long term effects, In addition, because the goals for growing genetically engineered plants differ from those for developing a community garden, staff recommends that a ban be implemented regarding the growing of genetically engineered plants in the City's Community Gardens Program. Discussion Backqround The City of Santa Monica has seventy Community Garden plots on approximately one half acre of land. Sixty plots are located at 2200 Main Street and the remaining ten plots are on Park Drive located off of Broadway. Plots are available on a first come first served basis to Santa Monica residents with a limit of one plot per household, Over the past several years, City staff, Commission members and gardeners have been working together to refine rules and regulations, identify needed improvements and opportunities for additional plots. Status of Waiting List There are currently 80 households on the waiting list with an estimated average wait of four years. This is a net reduction of 33 households from November 2005, at which time the estimated wait for a plot was five to six years, This net reduction is due to 46 households not renewing their positions on the list, ten households being assigned gardening plots and 23 new households being added to the list. 2 It is not clear what impact the new rules and regulations have had on the waiting list as information regarding the reasons for the 46 households not renewing their positions on the list is unavailable. In the future, staff will attempt to ascertain reasons for removal from the waiting list on an annual basis, To date, two gardeners have lost plots as a result of receiving four non-compliance notices within a twelve month period, The implementation of the new rules and regulations has resulted in better maintained gardens and a clearer understanding of gardening expectations, Status of Planned Additional Garden Plots The 1997 Recreation and Parks Master Plan calls for the City to expand the Community Gardening Program by developing two additional community gardens. This goal will be achieved during fiscal years 2006-2008 with the development of a community garden site at Euclid Park and additional plots at Park Drive. Ten community garden plots, including two plots with raised beds, are incorporated into the design of Euclid Park which is currently under construction. In addition, three "workshop" plots will be provided at the park, to be managed by City staff for use by participants in City programs and classes. Funding is also included in the City's FY 2006-07 Capital Improvement Program budget for up to 42 additional garden plots at Park Drive. The addition of these 52 plots will represent a 74% increase in the number of community garden plots in the community. However, due to the large interest in community gardening, the demand for plots will still not be fully met. 3 Recreation and Parks Commission Recommendations As requested by the City Council, this staff report transmits recommendations developed by the Recreation and Parks Commission and supported by the Community Gardens Advisory Committee regarding the development of new gardening opportunities and further recommends a prohibition against genetically engineered plants in the City's community gardens Expansion of New Gardening Opportunities at Existing Sites Currently community garden plots vary in size with the largest being approximately 20' x 20' (400 sq ft). Many gardeners have successfully developed these to be productive plots. Others, however, have struggled to maintain a successful garden on an ongoing basis. The reasons for their difficulty might be insufficient time or physical limitations, Oftentimes these reasons may result in gardeners receiving non-compliance notices for such infractions as too many weeds, not enough utilization of the plot or over grown plants that impede on walkways or infringe on neighboring plots. Some of these gardeners are at risk of losing their plots under the terms of the License Agreement which requires that gardeners in receipt of four non-compliance notices within a twelve month period give up their plots. A proactive approach to address this situation would be to provide some smaller size plots. This could be accomplished in the following manner: Existing gardeners of large plots that have received two non-compliance notices would be given the voluntary option to divide their plot into smaller size plots of not less than 100 square feet. This option would allow the gardener the opportunity of 4 still participating in the program with a more manageable size plot and thereby increasing their chances of being successful. Existing plots that become vacant would be assessed to determine whether or not they can be split into smaller plots while still maintaining a minimum of 100 square feet for each. This plan would also help to reduce the amount of time a person remains on the waiting list by increasing the overall inventory of community garden plots. New Traditional Community Gardens The following criteria have been developed for use in evaluating the appropriateness of potential locations for additional traditional community garden sites. . A minimum of six plots are needed to create a "community" . Each plot should be a minimum of 100 square feet . Parking should be available nearby . Site would accommodate a permanent use rather than interim uses . Location must have room for a green bin and a trash bin Numerous locations throughout the City were explored for feasibility as future community garden sites based on the criteria outlined above, As a result, the following recommendations were developed: . In the development phase of any new park, community gardens should be considered along with other recreational amenities. 5 . In existing parks, explore the possibility of converting underutilized areas to community gardens. (example: Park Drive) · Consideration should be given to including community gardens in the final plan of the Civic Center Area. . Vacant lots and land for sale throughout the City should be identified and the economic feasibility of purchasing it for future community garden sites should be considered. Acquisition of a 7500 square foot parcel could range from $750,000 to $2,250,000, yielding approximately 38 plots with approximately four on-site parking spaces. Improvement costs for a site this size is estimated to range between approximately $160,000 and $210,000, Alternative Gardening Opportunities In an effort to look creatively at alternative concepts to the traditional community gardens program, the Recreation and Parks Commission recommends that the following options for gardening opportunities should be explored more fully for possible implementation: . Private and City owned buildings might be retrofitted or designed to accommodate roof top gardens for building residents or the community at large. Zoning requirements for roof tops would limit the height for any structures or parapet walls to no more than 42". 6 . Partnerships between gardeners and schools could be developed for gardening programs located at schools that involve mentors working with youth to cultivate the land for shared benefit. . A front yard registry could promote partnerships between homeowners and gardeners to cultivate private land for shared benefit. . Cost permitting, partnerships with affordable housing project developers could create gardening opportunities on site for residents, Proposed Prohibition on Genetically Enqineered Plants Genetically engineered plants are created by artificially cutting and splicing genes of different unrelated plants to create a whole new plant species with different qualities from the original plant. Genetic engineering is different from traditional hybridization which is when natural reproductive methods with the pollen/spores of the same species of compatible plants are combined to develop specific defined characteristics without changing the basic makeup of the plant. Scientists are interested in developing genetically engineered plants for several reasons, such as to develop disease and pest resistant plants, increase crop production and food supply, to develop new species of plants that may benefit humanity and to develop herbicide resistant plants that allow for greater use of herbicides for the purpose of killing unwanted weeds, Genetically manufactured seeds are only sold to commercial growers in large quantities with strict contractual requirements and are not available on the retail market. 7 The potential dangers of developing genetically engineered plants are that they might create soil toxicity and sterilization, could strip the nitrogen from the soil, and can upset the natural biological order by promoting the development of "super pests" that would be resistant to existing environmentally safe pest deterrents. Genetically engineered plants might also alter soil structure resulting in the development of new super weeds that could spread to other garden plots and negatively affect the community bio system as a whole. In addition, genetically engineered plants may have undetected toxins that increase the chances of allergic reaction to those who consume these plants and may have a different nutritional value than the plants they were developed from, The effects of genetically engineered plants are still unknown and there are many concerns regarding their long term effects. The reasons for the promotion of this science have been to increase production and reduce labor costs. These factors have minimal bearing on the community gardening concept. The goals for community gardening are to promote personal fulfillment, education and an active and healthy living lifestyle through the growing of organic plants for personal use, and therefore it is recommended that a ban be implemented regarding the growing of genetically modified plants in the City's Community Gardens Program. Previous Council Action In adopting new rules and regulations for the community gardens, the Council did not adopt term limits as advised by the City Attorney. The community gardeners have consistently opposed the idea for term limits citing the following reasons: a lack of a 8 similar prohibition in other communities, the amount of time needed to establish their gardens and the positive aspects of developing a stable gardening community that adds to the gardeners' quality of life, At the October 12, 2006 Community Gardens Advisory Committee meeting they reaffirmed their opposition to the issuance of term limits and expressed continued support for the development of more community garden plots in the City, Commission Action In 2005 the Recreation and Parks Commission adopted a motion recommending that the City Council explore all possible opportunities for creating new community gardens in the city in order to create more opportunities for gardeners, and that if term limits are imposed, that the gardener not have to vacate their plot until the replacement gardener has been on the waiting list for a minimum of two years. The Recreation and Parks Commission has not reviewed the issue of term limits during the past year. At the October 19, 2006 meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commission, the Commission voted to support the proposed site development criteria and exploration of additional community gardening opportunities in the City through the operational modifications and proposed concepts for future gardening sites. They also recommended a ban on genetically engineered plants in the City's Community Gardens Program. In addition, the Commission recommended that staff explore developing a "gardening buddy" program within the Community Gardens program. 9 Next Steps As existing gardening plots become available, staff will assess each to determine whether or not it can be divided into smaller plots of at least 100 square feet. In addition, staff will continue to work closely with the Community Gardens Advisory Committee to explore the feasibility of alternative gardening opportunities such as a gardening buddy program, partnerships with local schools and a front yard registry program. BudgetlFinanciallmpact Funds have been budgeted for the new garden plots at Euclid Park and Park Drive in the City's current CIP Budget. There are no additional costs associated with this status report. Implementation costs of options identified in this report would be evaluated upon future directions by the City Council. Prepared by: Kathy LePrevost, Community Programs Manager Approved: Forwarded to Council: IJ~~ Barbara Stinchfield Director, Community & Cultural Services 10