Chicago – Officials, local farmers divided on new urban agriculture rules

Ken Dunn, of the Resource Center, removes snow from around one of the hoop greenhouses at City Farm, which has been run for 10 years on a city-owned acre at Clybourn Avenue and Division Street, last week. Photo by Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune.

“If this passes, our work would be over.”

By Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune
January 3, 2011

Excerpt:

In an effort to regulate the new crop of urban farms, Mayor Richard Daley last month presented a proposed ordinance to the City Council. City officials say the new rules are aimed at “nourishing urban agriculture,” but some of Chicago’s top urban farmers believe they will stunt the growth of grass-roots projects.

Crafted by the Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning, the ordinance and its accompanying protocols propose requirements on fencing, plot size, processing, landscaping and zoning that would apply to urban farming in all its forms: commercial production plots, nonprofit farms and community gardens.

“If this passes, our work would be over,” said Erika Allen, of Growing Power, which runs four nonprofit gardens and farms in Chicago. “We couldn’t do any of our projects. They’re all over the size limit. We couldn’t sell produce at our Cabrini-Green farm stand. And some of our expanded projects would also be affected.”

Ken Dunn, of the Resource Center, would like to see vacant city lots used for temporary gardens modeled on his 1-acre City Farm, run for 10 years on city-owned land at Division Street and Clybourn Avenue but slated to move to a new site.

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