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Muskegon Update: New Ordinance Proposed

3/14/2015

2 Comments

 
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by Joshua S. EldenBrady

At the Planning Commission on the 16th of April at 4:00pm the City of Muskegon will be presenting an updated urban farming ordinance.  

While there have been a number of changes significant problems remain, including the following:

1. The City will require soil testing but the ordinance gives no guidance as to what is being tested for or what standard will be used.  Is this just for lead or is this a full panel $1000 soil test?  Note: city ordinances do not require out of town farmers to test soil to sell at the new city farmers market, and market policies are still being researched.

2. Existing community gardens that meet all of the rules will have to pay $500 and go through special use permit review (as will everybody else) if any of their members want to sell.  They may also have to tear down greenhouses or make other improvements if they don't meet the new setbacks.  This $500 entry fee virtually guarantees that low income individuals will never be able to sell produce that they grow.  Anyone who want to sell will be subject to this cost even if they are growing in a 100sq/ft plot with no site changes.

3. You also won't be able to grow and sell on the same site even if on a commercially zoned lot, and even if you already have a retail business on the same lot!


4. After complaining last year that if they allow sales, commercial farms will pop up on every vacant lot, the city is now poised to allow commercial farms but only on vacant lots.  They will also be outlawing private gardens on vacant lots anywhere in the city - this after they protested last year that they were not going after private gardens.  And, if you want to start a small farm where you live that's too bad since you won't be able to grow to sell off of any property with a building on it.  At the same time that an out of town company can buy any vacant residential zoned property in the city and start a farm on it no one can grow vegetables in their own back yard and sell them.
2 Comments
Joshua S. EldenBrady
3/14/2015 12:41:15 pm

While one section of the proposed ordinance defines community gardens without mentioning sales, another says that they are not about profit making. This leaves open the possibility that a community garden may be allowed some level of sales before they have to convert to a farm and pay for special use review. The problem is that this level is not clear from the ordinance leaving community gardens with small amounts of sales in very uncertain legal territory.

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Dee
3/14/2015 10:41:59 pm

After a recent meeting at work, the subject of "healthier communities" has come up. Being a middle class citizen my whole life, I've never dealt with the issues of poverty on a personal level. I know food assistance is available to the poor. The big problem that was addressed is transportation. Many food stamp eligable families don't have transportation to keep fresh food in the house. Their only food source within walking distance is the gas station!!! So these people are feeding their kids gas station food as meals! If Muskegon had local fresh food within the city, we could take a step in the right direction toward our goal of healthier communities.

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