March 22, 2005

SUBJECT:  Consideration of Community Gardens and Possible Locations (RTC 05-077)

REPORT IN BRIEF

In accordance with Council’s policy governing “Relationships with Outside Groups,” staff has been working with a non-profit community organization, Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening (SSG). SSG desires use of City property at little to no cost in order to provide community gardening services to the general public. Monies for design and construction of community gardens has been made available in the form of a grant from the Satterberg Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization, so no capital costs associated with development of the gardens would be required from the City. Annual operating costs would also be negligible, since operation of the community gardens would be performed by SSG. Given that Council has expressed support for exploring this community garden concept and a possible relationship with SSG, staff has begun considering City properties for possible garden sites. The purpose of this report is two-fold: 1) to determine whether or not Council wishes to pursue further the possibility of an Agreement with Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening and, if so, 2) to determine which pieces of City property Council would like to further explore as possible gardening sites.

Staff recommends continued pursuit of a possible agreement with SSG, as well as further exploration (with the affected neighborhood) of the following possible garden locations:

·         Cherry Orchard at 755 S. Mathilda Avenue

·         Orchard Heritage Park

·         John Christian Greenbelt, just west of Manzano Way

BACKGROUND

In early 2004, City staff was approached by the Satterberg Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting collaborative efforts resulting in positive community impact. The Satterberg Foundation invited the City to apply for grant monies for the purpose of developing community gardens in Sunnyvale. Satterberg initially thought that the City might operate and maintain the community gardens itself. Staff indicated that there were formal City processes for the consideration of additional service levels (i.e., through Council’s annual adoption of a budget and/or through the Study Issues process). Staff also advised the Satterberg foundation that given the current budget crisis, increases in City-provided service levels and operating budgets were much less likely than in previous years. Given application deadlines and a window of opportunity, however, Council authorized staff to apply for the Satterberg Foundation funding, with the understanding that it would consider acceptance of any awards at a later date.

Staff indicated it planned to check with other community resources to see whether there was any interest on the part of outside groups to operate and maintain community gardens. In doing so, staff found that the Sunnyvale Garden Club was strongly supportive of community gardens, but that it did not have the resources to operate or maintain them. The Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County indicated that it too was supportive of community gardens, but that it had funding constraints itself and that community gardens were not its primary mission. A few members of the Master Gardeners, however, also happen to belong to a group called Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening (SSG). In accordance with Council’s policy governing relationships with outside groups, SSG requested an agreement with the City whereby SSG would develop, operate and maintain community gardens in Sunnyvale in return for use of City property for that purpose. Since that time, staff has worked closely with Josh Salans, Janet Hamma and other representatives of Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening in exploring related possibilities.

This report describes that exploration and seeks Council action regarding the next steps.

EXISTING POLICY

From the Open Space Sub-element:

Goal A: Manage a comprehensive open space program that is responsive to public need, delivers high quality customer service and exemplifies the city's commitment to leadership in environmental affairs.

Policy A.1: Encourage active citizen involvement in the development and management of open space.

Action Statements:

A.1.a. Provide opportunities for public participation in planning the development and management of open space.

A.1.d. Investigate and pursue avenues for citizen involvement in the implementation of open space programs, such as landscape plantings and park beautification activities.

Goal B: Acquire and develop open space identified as high priority through land dedication or purchase.

Policy B.4: Identify revenue sources and increase revenues, where possible, which can be allocated to parks and open space operating budgets and capital improvements.

Action Statements:

B.4.c. Encourage contributions, grants and loans for open space acquisition and development through the community and other foundations, civic organizations, and individuals.

Goal C: Maintain a system of parks that assures all residents, workers and visitors access to recreational opportunities by providing neighborhood parks, athletic/play fields and special use facilities.

C.1.e. Consider acquisition or lease of sites to assure that accessible open space is maintained in each existing neighborhood and provided to any new neighborhoods.

Policy C.4: Provide, develop and maintain Special Use Parks and Facilities. 

Action Statements:

C.4.c. Provide for a balance between general recreation uses and special interest uses in parks and facilities.

C.4.e. Consider the designation, development and management of an Orchard Heritage Park at the Community Center site consistent with an overall plan and in cooperation with the Sunnyvale Historical Society.

DISCUSSION

Council is asked to take action and consider two questions:

Should the City Pursue Further the Possibility of an Agreement with Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening?

Since there is no Council policy specific to community gardens and given the City’s current budget crisis, staff is not in a position to actively seek ways for the City to provide community gardening to the public. However, Council’s Relationships with Outside Groups Policy does provide staff guidance in working with independent groups that provide a community service for the benefit of its residents and businesses. The intent of that policy is to identify the support which the City will provide to outside groups which provide a community service. In accordance with that policy, SSG has requested that the City consider an agreement between itself and the City for the provision of community gardens by SSG.

Need for Community Gardens

The “need” for community gardens is difficult to gauge. Neither the City’s Recreation Sub-Element nor Open Space Sub-Element (both are currently in the process of being updated) includes policies or action statements specific to community gardening. On the other hand, community gardens would support many of the more generic policies contained in both documents, and the City does strive to provide a balanced array of recreational services to the community. The City has long included gardening in its delivery of services to seniors, and there has recently been communicated a strong desire on the part of many residents for the establishment of community gardens (the membership of SSG has grown to 130 as of the writing of this report).

Benefits of Community Gardens

A number of possible benefits can be attributed to community gardens:

1.      Provide fresh, nutritious produce in urban areas for community members or food banks.

2.      Build community by

·          creating opportunities for neighbors to work together

·         provide opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections

·         beautifying neighborhoods; enrich and enhance a sense of identity

3.      Educate the community regarding garden-related issues (e.g., composting, pest management, planting techniques, etc.)—provide safe learning space for children and adults.

4.      Reduce stress and improve mental health of community members.

5.      Preserve urban green space; reduce City heat from streets and parking lots; enable positive human-earth connections and the cultivation of environmental stewardship.

History of Community Gardens in Sunnyvale

The City of Sunnyvale’s history regarding community gardens is fairly limited. When the Senior Center resided on McKinley Avenue, a small portion of that leased school district property was used to provide a very limited number of small garden plots for interested seniors. A demonstration garden designed to depict the effect of potable vs. reclaimed water on landscapes has also been developed by the City at Sunnyvale Baylands Park—it is educational in nature, however, and does not provide gardening opportunities to the public. When the City improved that portion of the Hetch-Hetchy right of way which runs through Sunnyvale, creating the landscaped John Christian Greenbelt, it caused a couple of unauthorized gardens planted by adjacent neighbors to be removed. While there are undoubtedly a number of private gardens throughout the City, staff is unaware of any true community gardens at present.

If the City does desire to further explore an agreement with SSG for the provision of community gardens in Sunnyvale, where should those gardens be located?

If Council does not wish to further explore the provision of community gardens, there is obviously no need to answer this question. Assuming Council does wish to further explore community gardens, the primary question becomes one of location.

Most of the City’s agreements under the Relationships with Outside Groups Policy involve a community-based group’s use of City facilities for the same purpose those facilities were designed to serve (e.g., little leagues use baseball fields and the Senior Clubs use meeting rooms at the Senior Center). In this case, however, the City has no existing community gardens and would need to find a suitable piece of City property in order to support the Sunnyvale Sustainable Gardening group.

General Site Considerations

The long-term objective of SSG would be to maintain a number of community gardens—likely of different shapes and sizes—interspersed throughout the City, such that no resident would need to drive clear across town to access one. Initially, however, SSG envisions at least one community garden as centrally located as possible, capable of providing a minimum of 55 separate plots (40 general plots and 15 senior plots) on a site at least one-half acre in size overall.

Another factor to keep in mind is length of use. Due to the time and effort needed to develop the gardens, SSG hopes that any City property dedicated to community gardening would continue to be used for that purpose for a minimum of five years. This would allow the group sufficient time to realize at least a minimal return on its investment of energy. A site likely to be used by the City for other purposes in the near future would not be an ideal location.

Location, Location, Location!

This clearly remains the biggest challenge in bringing community gardens to Sunnyvale. Typically, the most challenging aspect of adding a new open space feature (whether that is a dog park, a skate park, or community gardens) is finding a suitable space. That is because the most practical and feasible locations tend to require the alteration of existing open spaces. That type of change often invokes a variety of different reactions from the community—particularly from those residing close to the location in question.

Over the past several months, staff and the SSG have explored the entire City in search of possible community garden sites. Numerous sites were inspected, but most were either too small or were already being used for purposes neither staff nor the SSG would recommend be disrupted (e.g., park athletic field use).

A brief overview of the sites considered most conducive to community gardens is provided below. Please see Attachment A for location map and Attachment B for map of existing open space/park system.

UNDEVELOPED PARCELS

Charles Street

There are few undeveloped parcels of land left in the City and a multitude of possible uses for those which do remain. In fact, the only undeveloped parcel of land owned by the City which staff and the SSG believe could readily accommodate community gardens is that 1.8 acre parcel just west of Charles Street and north of 505 West Olive Avenue.

Pros

·         Ample space

·         Centrally located

·         Abundant parking

·         Quiet, pastoral street

·         Would help offset heavy development associated with downtown and would beautify the area

Cons

·         This is a very valuable piece of real estate originally purchased for the express purpose of redeveloping the Civic Center campus. Given the current budget crisis, Council may wish to explore alternative uses for this site, including revenue generation.

DEVELOPED PARCELS

Orchard Heritage Park

City Council has already authorized the development of limited community gardens at Orchard Heritage Park. On September 24, 2002, City Council approved a Master Plan for Orchard Heritage Park (RTC 02-369).The primary focus of the Master Plan is to “maintain a working fruit orchard throughout the largest portion of Orchard Heritage Park for as long a time period as practical within the resources made available by the City.” However, the Master Plan also acknowledges the public’s interest in community gardens, indicating that “gardens are planned for the park” although “their specific location within Orchard Heritage Park has not been determined.” The Master Plan further specifies that “senior gardeners will likely have priority for use,” allowing for the continuation of services previously provided at the old Senior Center on McKinley Avenue.