If you park in Seattle and jump the curve, among your many concerns may now be the thought of whether someone’s garden just got smashed? Thanks to changes implemented by Seattle’s government, city residents can now plant vegetable gardens in the space of land between the sidewalk and a road’s curb.As Maureen O’Hagan reports for the Seattle Times, the parking strip measure is just one of many steps the government and people of Seattle are taking that is promoting agriculture in the city. It use to be that only grass could be grown in the space between the sidewalk and the curb. Anything else required a permit, and hardscaping also required fees around $225. However, this year the Seattle Department of Transportation changed its rules and now no permit is required to plant vegetable-gardens in the strip, and though a permit is stilled required for hardscaping, there is no longer a fee. Now Seattle resident can get their daily vegetables by walking out their front door and across the sidewalk. To read the Seattle Times story click here.
In addition to the change by the Department of Transportation, the United States Department of Agriculture recently gave Seattle $300,000 in grant funds. The funds are to be used for projects that increase urban agriculture as well as improve access to healthy foods for low-income communities. The city is helping to provide matching funds to the grant recipients. To learn more about the types of projects that will be funded as well as other steps Seattle is taking in the area of urban agriculture see the Seattle Times story.
Posted: 07/27/09
