2010 Another Successful Year for Action on Local Food

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community garden

The Seattle City Council adopted Resolution 31019, the Local Food Action Initiative, in 2007.  Here’s what we accomplished in 2010:

  • Declared 2010 as the Year of Urban Agriculture and organized a series of events and public engagement programs to provide resources and encourage people to grow food and increase the number of gardens in Seattle.
  • Launched a web portal to provide information and coordinate activities.
  • Adopted land use code changes that define ‘Community Garden’ and allow them outright in all zones, define ‘Urban Farm’ and allow specific appropriate models in each zone, allow people in residential zones to grow and sell unprocessed produce on their property, implement urban agriculture as an accessory use through the Living Building pilot program, expand the Seattle Green Factor requirements (including a food production bonus) to low-rise  zones, review the Land Use Code to ensure the encouragement of small and mid size grocery stores in NC and C zones, and define Farmers’ Markets as an outright permitted use with zoning incentives for permanent markets.
  • Established a Regional Food Policy Council at the Puget Sound Regional Council, and assisted in developing a state Food Policy Interagency Team.
  • Worked with the Health Department on “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” (CPPW) grant to support community kitchens and market gardens and take steps to provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables in ‘food deserts’.
  • Continued the work on the $300,000 Community Food Grant (CFG) from the US Department of Agriculture in support of actions to provide local, healthy foods in low income neighborhoods of SE and West Seattle, including a Healthy Corner Store initiative in Delridge, developing a new food bank garden at Seattle Housing Authority’s Rainier Vista housing development, and supporting the Clean Greens Farm and Farmers Market in the Central Area.
  • Exchanged letters with King County starting negotiations on a Transfer of Development Rights program to protect farms that provide produce for Seattle’s Farmers Markets.
  • Authorized pilot programs to collect food waste in multi-family buildings and committed to universal collection for multi-family buildings in 2013.
  • Moved a Food System Policy Plan for the City of Seattle to final draft stage.
  • Launched teaching gardens and more community kitchen projects at Community Centers and worked with the Parks Department to consider a community greenhouse project in Rainier Beach.
  • Used Parks Levy and other funding to expand the P-Patch program to serve additional households, and began work on a new P-Patch Strategic Plan.
  • Worked with the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture to organize an Urban Agriculture conference.
  • Assisted neighborhoods to include community food planning in the neighborhood planning process with encouragement and planning tools.
  • Worked with community –led projects to coordinate and strengthen their effectiveness.
  • Continued to operate the City Hall Farmers’ Market and encourage the expansion and location of other Farmers’ Markets around the City.  Signed agreement with Pike Place market to continue City Hall Market.