We demand space for a COMMUNITY GARDEN at the 6th St. Viaduct Park in the Arts District, Los Angeles!

WATCH SLIDESHOW HERE

WHO ARE WE?

The LA River Garden Coalition is a grassroots movement among local nonprofits, businesses and individuals committed to the creation of community gardens and other green spaces along the LA River.

WHY A COMMUNITY GARDEN AT THIS PARK?

As advocates for urban gardens, urban agriculture and food justice, we would like to work with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering ("BoE") to advance a policy that will support the reservation of any amount of land for urban agricultural use in the 6th Street Viaduct Park (the "Park"). Currently, there is no plan to create any public urban garden space as evidenced by latest iteration of park plans.

There is tremendous appetite and need for repurposing underutilized and unused land for growing food and creating green spaces in Los Angeles. This is evident at both the public and private level. For example, the Mayor's Sustainable City pLAn (the "pLAn") aims to increase the number of urban agriculture sites by 25% by 2025 and by 50% by 2035. Most recently in furtherance of the pLAn, the City of Los Angeles unanimously passed the adoption of local legislation codifying AB551 – the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones that allow private property owners to take a significant tax cut if they lease their land out to local growers. In addition, private support is apparent from the enthusiasm behind the Spring Street Community Garden ("Spring Street"), the only known community garden within the downtown parameter. In the short time since its incubation, Spring Street has already developed a reputation as a vital switchboard bringing together a rich and diverse group of growers and partners.

This desire for green space in the Arts District is further corroborated by the City of Los Angeles' "Public Engagement Process: Recap of Public Input Survey Results" for the use of the Park (the "Survey"). According to the Survey, gardening and enjoying the outdoor greenspace were in the top three of activities and uses that Park-side Angelenos would like to see in the Park as it relates to Nature and Beautification.

(The full letter the LA RGC is sending to City officials with more details can be read HERE. Our Facebook group is HERE.)

Current BoE renderings for this project HERE. 

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Gabrielle Newmark, Anastasia Butler, Katherine McNenny, Naomi Scully, Adrian Hunter and Michael Maier.

COALITION PARTNERS

The Los Angeles River Garden Council ("RGC") is a coalition of Arts District stakeholders and urban gardening enthusiasts. As of the drafting of this letter, RGC has support from the following stakeholder organizations:

1.      Spring Street Community Garden

2.      Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council

3.      Los Angeles River Artists and Business Association

4.      Los Angeles Community Garden Council

5.      Arts District Community Council LA

6.      Industrial District Green

7.      Los Angeles Food Policy Council 

CONCLUSION

In light of the foregoing, we submit that in the nascent stages of developing the Park plans, the BoE should designate an appropriate piece of the parcel to communal agricultural use.

RECOMMENDATIONS

•  Reserve a Dedicated Piece of Land for Urban Agricultural Use
• Work with Community Members to Develop the Best Plan for the Land's Use and the Community's Needs
•  Develop a Plan for Land Management