HomeMy WebLinkAboutIrby Park - Community Garden at Irby Park - Huntington BeachTo: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Joe Shaw, Mayor Pro Tern
Date: March 10, 2014 6
Subject: CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ITEM FOR MARCH 17, 2014, CITY
COUNCIL MEETING — COMMUNITY GARDEN AT IRBY PARK
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
At the request of residents, the City Council approved the concept of a community garden in the
southeast portion of the city. As part of Council's approval, the city entered into a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with a non-profit group, Huntington Beach Community Garden
(HBCG), for operation of the facility. The garden opened in March 2010 and has been very
successful as evidenced by its strong membership numbers.
HBCG paid for all improvements to establish the garden and they are responsible for
maintaining the area per city. The garden includes 100 individual plots, which are available to
the general public at a fee of $150 or $200 per year depending upon the plot size. Since its
opening, the garden plots have been in great demand. All plots have been allocated and there
is a consistent waiting list for plots as they become available. The Community Garden provides
residents with an opportunity to grow and harvest their own fruits and vegetables, as well as
giving back to the community. Since its first harvest, garden members have donated over 1,000
pounds of organically grown fruits and vegetables to local non-profit charities.
Due to the success of the current community garden and the need to provide more opportunities
to the public, I am asking my fellow Council Members to support the concept of establishing
another garden in the city. I am proposing that the 7.5-acre undeveloped portion of Irby Park be
developed into a community garden. The current garden is approximately 2.5 acres. I envision
a plan that would place the garden in the center of the property and the remaining portions
being developed to serve the as -hoc uses the adjacent residents now enjoy. HBCG members
have reached out to the surrounding community and have conducted public meetings to
establish a need and support for a garden in the geographic center of the city. HBCG would
take the lead in developing a plan for the garden, with staff taking it through the appropriate
entitlement process including a Conditional Use Permit (CUP).
According to the USDA, about 15% of the world's food is grown in urban areas. Community
gardens are now a major part of many cities' open -space network. They promote healthy living
and contribute to the preservation of open space and sustainability. Given our current
population and the growing trend for mixed use developments, our city can greatly benefit from
another community garden.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve the concept of creating a community garden and passive park improvements on the
undeveloped portion of Irby Park.
xc: Fred Wilson, City Manager Joan Flynn, City Clerk
Ken Domer, Assistant City Manager Janeen Laudenback, Director of Community Services
Esparza, Patty
From: Dombo, Johanna
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 9:09 AM
To: Esparza, Patty
Subject: FW: Support for 2nd Community Garden
Good morning, Patty and Happy Monday!
Did you have a great weekend?
From: steve engel[mailto:steve.w.engel@outlook.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 2:06 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL
Subject: Support for 2nd Community Garden
Dear Mayor Harper, Mayor Pro Tern Shaw and Councilmembers,
This note is in support of the 2nd Community Garden located in the Irby Park vacant lot. The inclusion of a
Community Garden and the development of a Passive Park area in the vacant lot would be a wonderful
addition to the Irby Park neighborhood and community at large. This improvement is a long time in coming.
Thank you very much for bringing this idea forward and for your consideration.
Steve Engel and Family
Sent from Windows Mail
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
tiro Datc.. 3h L'�k6 /
Esparza, Patty
From: Dombo, Johanna
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 10:49 AM
To: Esparza, Patty
Subject: FW: Against Irby park communities garden
#2...
-----Original Message -----
From: Sean McCarthy [mailto:cndrsean@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 10:47 AM
To: Shaw, Joe
Cc: Dombo, Johanna
Subject: Against Irby park communities garden
Dear Sir,
Have you actually gone door to door in the Irby Park area. None of us want a communities
garden in the undeveloped section. Leave it alone, we don't want the rift raft, the over flow
from the homeless community coming into our nice clean park. There is no parking, there are
no bathrooms. You gonna bring a port-a-pottie in so we can smell in down wind? This is a
horrible idea, it's not that we don't want others to enjoy the park, we enjoy the sounds of
families playing there. Go use the land that the future the so-called senior center is gonna
be built on, lots of parking, and restrooms over. Don't you think that if we who live in the
area wanted a Comuntee Garden, we'd have already planted one? Don't do it, please, it's not
welcome.
Concerned
Sean L. McCarthy
SUPPLEMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
Meeting Date:___, /
Agenda Item No,
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