Please endorse these sustainable agriculture recommendations for the purpose of addressing ordinances and zoning related to sustainable agriculture in the CZO by signing this petition.  These recommendations (posted below) and the petition have been prepared for the New Orleans City Planning Commission by New Orleans Sustainable Agriculture Group (NOSAG) members April 2011.

Goal/Objective: Protect existing and establish new urban agriculture spaces as important community resources that build social connections; offer recreation, education, and economic development opportunities; and provide open space and a local food source.

Policy Recommendations  Policy Recommendations text modified from the report “Establishing Land Use Protections for Community Gardens.” National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity. June 2010. www.nplan.org.

•  Encourage the creation and operation of one urban agriculture space of no less than one acre for every 2,500 households. Identify neighborhoods that do not meet this standard and prioritize the establishment of new gardens in neighborhoods that are underserved by other open space and healthy eating opportunities.

 

•  Identify existing and potential urban agriculture sites on public property, including parks, recreation and senior centers, public easements and right-of-ways, and surplus property, and give high priority to community gardens in appropriate locations.

 

• Adopt zoning regulations that establish urban agriculture spaces as a permitted use in appropriate locations. Urban agriculture spaces are compatible with the Residential, Multifamily, Mixed Use, Open Space, Industrial, Public Facility land use designations shown on the General Plan land use map.

 

• Encourage all new affordable housing units to contain designated yard or other shared space for residents to garden.

• Encourage all new construction to incorporate green roofs, edible landscaping, and encourage the use of existing roof space for community gardening. 

 

• Create an Urban Agriculture Program within the Parks and Recreation Department to support existing and create additional urban agriculture opportunities.

 

• Increase support for community gardens through partnerships with other governmental agencies and private institutions including school district(s), neighborhood groups, senior centers, businesses, and civic and gardening organizations.

 

• Secure additional urban agriculture sites through long-term leases or through ownership as permanent public assets by the City, nonprofit organizations, and public or private institutions like universities, colleges, school districts, hospitals, and faith communities.

 

• Encourage local law enforcement agencies to recognize the risk of vandalism of and theft from community gardens and provide appropriate surveillance and security to community gardens. 

 

• Encourage city to institute urban composting initiative by providing for collection of green waste and a central processing site.  Composted products can be made available for city gardeners/farmers for use in soil building.

 

Model Zoning Ordinance Language for Urban Agriculture

Definition of Urban Agriculture:

Urban agriculture spaces shall consist of land used for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, herbs, bees, fish, and domesticated animals by single or multiple users.  Such land may include available public land and vacant lots with permission from the owner(s).  Urban Agriculture is a permitted use in the following zones: residential, multifamily, mixed-use, open space, commercial, and industrial.

• •  Site users must have an established set of operating rules addressing the governance structure of the garden or farm, hours of operation, maintenance and security requirements and responsibilities, and a garden coordinator to perform the coordinating role for the management of the space and to liaise with the City.  
  •  The site must be designed and maintained so that water will not drain onto adjacent property.
  •  Site users must use organic and sustainable growing practices.  Use of synthetic pesticide and chemical fertilizer is prohibited.
  •  It will be permissible to sell produce from an urban agricultural space.  Sales by off-site growers are permitted as long as the total sales area does not exceed 20% of the urban agricultural space.
  •  If produce is available for sale, site users must undertake a soil test for heavy metals of area planned for cultivation.  If soil test shows harmful levels of contaminants, appropriate remediation procedures must be undertaken, or site design must specify raised bed construction with imported soil material.
  •  The following buildings or structures shall be permitted on the site: tool sheds, greenhouses that consist of buildings made of glass, plastic, or fiberglass in which plants are cultivated, chicken coops, animal enclosures, benches, bike racks, raised planting beds, compost or waste bins, picnic tables, seasonal farm stands, fences, garden art, rain barrel systems, beehives, barbeque grills, outdoor ovens, and children’s play areas.  Any fences or signs shall comply with applicable ordinances.
  •  Urban agriculture spaces of 2 acres or more must file a management plan with the City.  Management plans will address environmental and neighborhood impact of agricultural activities.
  •  The use of farm equipment (e.g. rototillers, tractors, irrigation systems) is permitted within existing noise ordinance limitations.
  •  It will be permissible to build soil from organic materials (produce, straw, wood chips, coffee grounds, manure, etc.) under satisfactory conditions, resourced from onsite and/or offsite.
  •  Animal processing shall comply with existing city ordinances.
  • Husbandry of poultry shall be permitted, provided that each animal receive a minimum of 4 square feet of living space.  For example, if a site has an area of 16 square feet, then 4 animals are permitted.
  • Husbandry of grazing animals is permitted according to reasonable spatial limitations of the site.  The city shall reserve the right to determine reasonable limitations on a site by site basis.