Urban Ag in Jacksonville

[avs]

Jacksonville's zoning code is sorely behind on the issue of urban farming.  Most other major cities in the US have amended their codes and are providing incentives for urban ag.  This RFP just came from Boston's mayor:

The Request-for-Proposals (RFP) for the potential future urban agriculture sites at Tucker, Standish and Glenway Streets in Dorchester has been issued.  Please see the press release below for more information and a link to download the RFP.  Thanks for your interest in urban agriculture in Boston! City Seeks Proposals for Pilot Urban Agriculture Project Three Parcels Available in Dorchester to Produce Fresh, Healthy Food for Residents             

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has announced that the City of Boston has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Pilot Urban Agriculture Project.  The Project proposes to put three vacant, city-owned properties in Dorchester to productive use for farming, with the goal of producing fresh, healthy food for sale in the community.  The RFP seeks proposals from qualified individuals, businesses, and/or organizations to farm these properties, either as for profit or not-for-project enterprises. Local community members are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.  The RFP includes incentives for partnerships between the farmers and local community organizations to encourage farming that is responsive to community needs and interests.           

“Urban farming is a great way to encourage small scale agricultural entrepreneurism in our city,” Mayor Menino said.  “It has the capacity to bring fresh fruits and vegetables into neighborhoods and corner stores while teaching Boston families and youth about where their food comes from.”

The three properties are located at 23-29 Tucker Street, 131 Glenway Street and 18-24 Standish Street.  Initially, each property will be leased based on a rate of $500 per acre, which based on lot sizes, will be roughly $125 to $200 per year for a term of five years.  The term may be extended if farming is successful.

The deadline for proposals is August 15, 2011.  The RFP package is available at the Department of Neighborhood Development’s Bid Counter on the 10th floor at 26 Court Street, Boston.  The RFP can also be downloaded by registering at http://www.cityofboston.gov/dnd/rfp.  A bidders conference is scheduled for July 25, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Winter Chambers on the 1st floor at 26 Court Street.  Any questions regarding the RFP can be emailed to Jay Lee at jlee.dnd@cityofboston.gov.

[Sigma]

   Thanks for posting avs.  Keep up the fight.

[Garden guy]

I know one thing is sad is there are so many lots in this city that could be available but the land itself is tainted...paint companies...ash dumps..old gas stations...all kinds of stuff. Share cropping is'nt anyting new..it just takes forward thinking to bring it to the city and it can be done...it just take sweat and a little back pain..mmm fresh green beans...i say who needs Publix....we could all just go two blocks down and get them. Long live the urban gardeners.

[avs]

lots of cities have that problem and they avoid using contaminated soil with raised beds.  Most vegetables roots don't go down too far.

[avs]

The RFP put out by Boston's mayor is great forward thinking and a great way to offer an incentive and help get something started.  We need more of this type of thinking here

[buckethead]

http://www.businessinsider.com/gotham-greens-2011-7

Yesterday we got to take a tour of Gotham Greens, the country's first commercial urban rooftop greenhouse.

It's an impressive, 15,000 square-foot facility atop a two-story warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that aims to grow 100 tons of produce a year.

Click here to tour an urban greenhouse >
The state-of-the-art greenhouse uses a hydroponic system, meaning there's no soil involved.

Gotham Greens harvested the first of its veggies in May and they're already selling out at upscale Manhattan grocers like Whole Foods and Mario Batali's Eataly, co-founder Viraj Puri told us. And the company will soon start selling directly to chefs at local restaurants.

The company was founded in 2008 by two friends -- Viraj, who has an environmental engineering background, and Eric Haley, who heads up the business side. Jennifer Nelkin, who runs the greenhouse, joined a year later.

The business aims to put farm fresh greens in the mouths of New Yorkers within 24 hours of harvesting.

And they're trying to do so with a focus on the environment. The greenhouse is powered by 55-kilowatt solar panels, and the hydroponic system uses one-twentieth the land and one-tenth the water of a conventional farm.

Plus, since the greens are grown so close to market, they use a relatively small number of "food miles," Viraj said.

Gotham Greens' first crop includes six types of lettuce and basil, though the company has plans to expand its produce selection and will eventually build several more rooftop greenhouses.

Despite the high cost of New York real estate, prices are competitive.

When we checked out the packaged salad section at Whole Foods, Gotham Greens' products were all $3.99, the same price as other similarly packaged greens and $.50 less than the organic versions. On FreshDirect, their lettuces were between $2.99 and $3.49, and comparably priced to similar salad greens.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/gotham-greens-2011-7#ixzz1SCTQxsn9

Of note is the fact that the product is competitively priced and not subsidized. Good news for a hungry world.

[avs]

That is truly good news!  More of that entreprenurial spirit could flourish here if the city council would propose  ordinance changes to our zoning code that allowed these types of ventures.