KCMO – Stand up for your right to grow your own veggies!
Season Burnett of the Kansas City CSA Coalition just sent me the following information:
Engaged Eaters & Urban Growers,
After months of advocacy to move urban agriculture forward in Kansas City, the City Council is now poised to take huge steps BACKWARDS from what is currently allowed. The Planning & Zoning Committee will vote TODAY on revisions to our proposed ordinance that would further restrict urban agriculture rather than encourage it. Please email them immediately at city_council@kcmo.org to let them know that restrictions on front-yard gardening are unacceptable, and (if you find yourself with nothing better to do) attend today’s hearing at 1:30 p.m. (that is, 2 hours from now) on the 26th Floor of City Hall!
Current codes do not restrict any type of growing, but rather restrict sales, employment and other aspects of commerce. Councilman Ed Ford has introduced amendments to the code revisions that will prohibit home gardeners from growing crops “in a row” in their front yard (including flowers). The revisions also restrict Community Supported Agriculture programs from growing any crops on any residential property without an expensive special use permit, regardless of whether the produce is distributed on- or off-site.
You can call Councilman Ford’s office directly to voice your concerns at 816-513-1601. Ford is an “at-large” Councilmember, which means he is elected by, and represents, the entire city.
Also, you can email or call other councilmembers. Their contact information is available at http://www.kcmo.org/CKCMO/CityOfficials/CityCouncilOffice/index.htm. Click on their lovely faces to pull up individual info. Click angrily!
Tell the City Council that you didn’t hire them to design your yard! Let’s postpone this ordinance until we can come to a compromise that moves forward, not backward.
Thank you for your support!
This is disgraceful to me. I understand the need for city ordinances and maintaining a good looking area, but to deny people the right to plant their own gardens is ridiculous. I’m sure the concept behind this has some merit, somewhere, considering the language regarding “rows.” I’m sure they are imagining rows of veggies looking like a farm in the middle of town (which there’s nothing wrong with, as far as I’m concerned). But how is one supposed to grow their own green beans and peas if not in a row?
If you live in Kansas City, Missouri make your voice heard in support of urban gardening!
~Karin
Well, folks, it passed. The KCMO Planning and Zoning Committee passed what they view as a “compromise” to the efforts of groups to promote urban agriculture fighting against upscale neighborhoods arguing to keep their areas neat and tidy.
The neighborhood associations don’t seem to want any ag in their communities. Urban Ag promoters want to see more. The supposed “compromise?”
“The committee added a number of restrictions including a prohibition on row crops in front yards, restriction of sales to fresh produce and requiring community gardens to get approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.”
The neighborhood associations think this isn’t restrictive enough. Really? So if I want to live in a high-scale neighborhood, I shouldn’t be allowed to grow my own vegetables in my own garden in my own yard?? I understand why they might not want people to be able to sell produce from their yards in those areas, but what about growing and taking to a farmer’s market? How is any of this detrimental to the look and feel of the community?
People need to harken back to the days when everyone had Victory Gardens. Having a garden needs to be the cool thing to do so these people that thing a garden is a nuisance will figure out it’s an essential part of our food supply. Wake up Kansas City!
Comment by Karin — June 4, 2010 @ 8:11 am
See my follow up post … http://nvranch.info/wordpress/2010/06/11/kcmo-modifies-their-proposed-urban-ag-ordinance/. The City Council opted to modify the ordinance after the outpouring of emails and calls they received.
Comment by Karin — June 11, 2010 @ 8:25 am