1. Community Garden Policy Overview
City of Chula Vista
Redevelopment and Housing
October 2009

2. Why: Community Interest in Gardens
-provide a affordable source of healthy food
-activate parks and open space
-provide outdoor exercise
-increase food security by providing local food sources
-interest in establishing policy on part of CV nonprofit and community groups: HEAC, SDSU Research Project, Network for a Healthy California
-interest in establishing gardens because they
-provide a local, affordable source of healthy food
-activate parks and open space
-provide outdoor exercise
-increase local food security
-Community groups helped create and review policy

3. Where:
Policy mainly addresses how to establish gardens on City property

4. Who: Nonprofit Responsibilities
Nonprofit groups would play a lead role in organizing and managing the gardens by:
-organizing the community
-becoming the responsible party in a user agreement with the City
-collect fees from garden users to cover garden cost
-would allocate costs and supervise garden maintenance
Would organize community through a preliminary meeting
Would be the responsible party in user agreement with the City
Would collect fees from the garden users to cover cost of establishing and maintaining garden
Would allocate garden plots on a first-come-first serve basis to interested groups

5. Who: City Responsibilities
Helping plan site
Ensuring site is not contaminated
Facilitating creation of user agreement/ lease
Preparing soil

6. Garden Stewardship Encourage stewardship of garden area by:
Prohibiting pesticides and chemical fertilizers
Requiring composting
Requiring the garden be open to all comers

7. Next Steps… Prepare an ordinance
Review zoning code to allow on non-city owned property