[Scpg] Urban farmers fighting to change anti-gardening codes nationwide

[LBUZZELL at aol.com]

_http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FARM_SCENE_URBAN_FARMERS_ 
(http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FARM_SCENE_URBAN_FARMERS)    


Feb 5, 2010


Urban farmers fight nationwide to sow green  biz


By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON 
Associated Press Writer



Tara Kolla examines a seedling  container, amid other vegetable seedlings 
that will be planted this spring in  the garden at her home in Los Angeles' 
Silver Lake district Wednesday, Jan. 27,  2010. Like many eco-minded 
gardeners, Kolla planted seeds, only to find that her  garden violated local zoning 
laws and alienated her  neighbors.



LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Tara Kolla fancied herself a green  thumb-turned-green 
businesswoman when she planted an organic flower plot in her  yard and sold 
poppies, sweet peas and zinnias at the local farmers market. For  her 
neighbors, it was an eyesore. 
Where Kolla saw her efforts as creating a lush sanctuary, her  neighbors 
witnessed dusty pots, steaming compost, flies and a funky aroma on  their tiny 
cul-de-sac in Los Angeles. They complained to zoning officials - and  
prevailed. 
Kolla and other urban farmers are fighting back by challenging  city halls 
across the country to rewrite ordinances that govern residential  gardens. 
They believe feeding their fellow urbanites homegrown tomatoes, fresh  eggs 
and sweet corn will change the world one backyard at a time. 
Seattle has loosened its rules for backyard goats, New York  City's health 
department is taking steps to legalize beekeeping and Detroit is  looking 
into regulating compost and greenhouses. 
In Detroit, where zoning laws ban growing crops and raising  livestock for 
profit, city planner Kathryn Lynch Underwood is part of a work  group 
rewriting the regulations and defining what kinds of urban farms might  need more 
oversight. 
"The city has not been treating it as an illegal use or a  nuisance because 
it has been a good thing," Underwood said. 
She is hopeful that urban agriculture and the city's nearly  1,000 
community gardens will create good jobs in a city that desperately needs  them and 
put vacant lots to use in blighted neighborhoods. 
Kolla, meanwhile, found a loophole allowing her to grow  vegetables while 
lobbying for the right to set up a city farm at her home just  four miles 
from the urban jungle of downtown Los Angeles. 
The challenge for cities is to balance the potential to grow  green 
businesses with the concerns of neighbors who don't want a thriving,  for-profit 
enterprise next door, never mind the noise and smells that come from  compost 
and small livestock. 
Urban agriculture crosses jurisdictional lines, said Alfonso  Morales, a 
professor of planning at the University of Wisconsin. He advises  cities to 
set up a one-stop-shop for urban farms, like they have for small  business 
development, so that city farmers can deal with zoning, home business  
regulations and nuisance laws all in one place. 
"There's such enthusiasm that people push the laws and upset  their 
neighbors," he said. "The fact is you can't do anything you want on your  
property." 
While most urban farms operate under the radar of city  officials and many 
neighborhoods welcome productive plots and even backyard  chickens, other 
city growers run into trouble with neighbors who won't be  placated with gifts 
of salad greens or fresh eggs. 
In middle class areas, concerns about property values and  aesthetic 
differences lead to conflicts. 
Kolla alienated neighbors on her quiet cul-de-sac of Spanish  bungalows and 
neat green lawns in the city's Silver Lake section when she began  peddling 
organic bouquets at farmers markets that she grew on her 21,000  
square-foot lot. 
"They're trying to grow it into something bigger than what  should be in a 
small neighborhood," said Frank San Juan, who lives across the  street from 
Kolla. "When she started having these gardening workshops without  telling 
anybody, there was no parking. You couldn't enjoy your weekends." 
Just a half century ago, Los Angeles was transforming itself  from the most 
lucrative farm county in the nation into a major metropolis. A  zoning 
ordinance written in 1946 as developers were cutting down the San  Fernando 
Valley's citrus orchards to build suburbia allowed small farms to grow  
vegetables to truck to market, but banned growing fruit, nuts or flowers for  sale 
on residential plots. 
 
Kolla could get a conditional use permit, but she has a  stubborn streak 
and it costs $15,000 just to apply. She and others are trying to  reverse the 
zoning laws with a proposal called "The Food and Flowers Freedom  Act." 
Growers from across Los Angeles formed the Urban Farming  Advocates to 
rally around Kolla, defend her right to grow and lobby the  city. 
"Most people would pay to have a view of her backyard," said  founding 
member Erik Knutzen, who keeps chickens and grows food in his yard. "I  can 
understand someone not wanting 50 roosters or an autobody shop next door,  but 
our proposal is about bringing common sense back to our lives." 
In July, City Council President Eric Garcetti introduced a  motion to 
clarify city policies on urban farms and allow cultivation and sale of  flowers, 
fruits, nuts or vegetables. 
While the city farmers wait patiently for the proposal to work  its way 
through the planning commission, Kolla started a weekly vegetable box  
subscription service so as not to miss too many of Southern California's long  
growing seasons. 
She feels the distinction between vegetables and fruit is  arbitrary and 
unscientific. 
"Broccoli is a flower, and a tomato is a fruit. And some of my  flowers are 
edible," Kolla said. "It's more legal for people to grow marijuana  in L.A. 
than flowers." 
--- 
Associated Press Writer David Runk contributed to this report  from Detroit.

 
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Thanks to George Vye for passing this along to us






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