SR-301-005-06 (2)
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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. 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".
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. 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.
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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
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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.
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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
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