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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-07-08 PACKET 05.3.MJCottage Grove if-here Pride a..Prp5Perity Meet To: Environmental Commission From: Jessica Griffin, Engineering Intern Date: July 1, 2015 Re: Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping Background Summary & Surroundin_g Cities Local food production has recently become a growing industry, especially in Minnesota; specifi- cally the Twin Cities and surrounding area shows enormous strength for local foods. There has been increased interest among people wanting to get started in local food production. A study, The Twin Cities Cooperative Local Food System, found that the Twin Cities area now has 15 consumer -owned retail cooperatives operating 17 stores. These stores are generating $179 million annually of which 30 percent of the products are locally produced and processed. It was found that this supports 300 to 350 local farmers. Local food production is quickly rising and may need to be regulated in the future as more of the community becomes involved. With local food production climbing, urban farming has become an option for many local farmers. Urban farming is defined as an establishment where food is grown or processed to be sold or donated. This may include outdoor or indoor farms, vertical farms, aquaponics, hydroponics, and rooftop farms. Urban farming advocates a smaller carbon footprint and a better way to produce healthier food. Farming within urbanized cities has been a forgotten history in the Twin Cities. Twin Cities' residents used to buy seasonal produce from local urban farming businesses called market gardens, although today most have been replaced with suburban housing. Specific regu- lation within the City of St. Paul allows urban farms in industrial zones and conditionally allows urban farms in Commercial C4 districts. Urban farming becomes an issue within more populated cities due to the possible disturbance of nearby residents or businesses. This is why it is important to maintain ordinances related to urban farming. This particular type of farming is becoming more popular as people are trying to find new ways to increase their positive environmental impact. Recently, the City of St. Paul changed their ordinance so that farmer's markets are now officially allowed in all city zoning districts. Approval of a site plan and a lead test must be done to be able to use land for production of food or crops to be harvested, sold, or donated. The city requires a conditional use permit for those whose agricultural land exceeds one acre and resides in residen- tial, traditional neighborhood, or business districts. For on-site sales, the main requirements in- clude that the sales must be limited to only products grown on site, limited to no more than three sales in a week, and may only take place between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The City of Minneapolis currently has a citywide initiative in place called Homegrown Minneapolis, which brings together local government, businesses, community organizations, non -profits, and residents to build a healthy, local food system. The city's role in this program is to set citywide policies and regulations in order to sustain an environment for a strong local food system. The Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 2 of 7 city directs financial and human resources, convenes stake holders, and coordinates local food efforts. With the city working together with the local community, this greatly boosts the ability of residents and businesses to grow, sell, distribute, and consume healthy, local food. The city cur- rently holds lots that are available for leasing by the community. Homegrown Minneapolis exem- plifies a great way to enhance local food production within a growing, urban city. Another topic that can be tied in with local food production is beekeeping. In cities such as St. Paul, Minneapolis, Stillwater, and Oakdale, beekeeping must be done with a permit. The City of Minneapolis requires a beekeeping permit to be obtained from the local Animal Care and Control and costs $100, and they provide a list of requirements to ensure the safety of the business, which are enforced by the local Animal Care and Control. The bee colonies must be kept in hives with removable frames, a convenient source of water must be available to the colony, and the bee- keeper must ensure that the colony is not vulnerable to robbing by other bees. Minneapolis also has criteria in place for the number of colonies that are permitted based on the size of the lot. Stillwater has a similar code, although residents can only keep bees if the hive is 500 feet from the property line, which means a 20 -acre lot would be needed to comply with this ordinance. Other cities like Edina and South St. Paul expressly ban beekeeping. In Brooklyn Park and Eagan, bees are classified as farm animals, so beekeeping can only happen in specific zoned areas that do not include traditional residential subdivisions. In Inver Grove Heights, Maplewood, and St. Paul Park, beekeeping is legal without the need for a permit. Bee populations are in a decline, which makes beekeeping essential to the life of bees. It has not been determined what the exact cause of the bee population decrease is. Factors may include starvation, pesticides, herbicides, monoculture, poor beekeeping practices, and global climate change. Bees are essential because of their ability to pollinate flowers, which in turn keeps our plants and flowers flourishing. Honey bees are a benefit to mankind, and to Minnesota in particu- lar, by providing agriculture, fruit and garden pollination, and producing honey and other useful products. The Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association is a group that connects bee keepers throughout Minnesota and works with them to improve their understanding of honey bees and successful hive management. The Association emphasizes that Minnesota is among the leading states in honey production and agricultural by-products associated with beekeeping throughout the United States. They also argue that honey bees can be maintained within populated areas in reasonable densities without causing a nuisance if the bees are properly located and carefully managed. That is why the Association has created a model ordinance that is meant to be used as a guide to creating a beekeeping ordinance for cities throughout Minnesota and can be modified to fit a city's needs. Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 3 of 7 Urban Farming - Photos Rooftop Farming Hydroponics Vertical Farming Aquaponics Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 4 of 7 Market Gardens & Farmers Markets - Photos A�t i P cc � Ir' vi m,e f. .�. 't''; c - C�pyr� IJon Peterson R Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 5 of 7 Beekeeping - Photos .4 Bottom Board Stand Outer Cover Inner Cover Honey supers Queen Excluder Deep Super 1 .4 Bottom Board Stand Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 6 of 7 Discussion Currently, the City of Cottage Grove has certain standards for keeping farm animals (bees in- cluded) in residential districts. On parcels less than 40 acres, the property must be at least five acres in order to keep any farm animals. The animal confinement areas must be set back at least 60 feet from all property lines. Specifically for the keeping of fowl and/or poultry, the size of the parcel must be greater than three acres. If the City decides that an ordinance amendment to allow beekeeping, the model ordinance cre- ated by the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association would be a great starting point. The es- sential regulations are that a beekeeping permit must be obtained, the bee colonies must be kept in hives with removable frames, a convenient source of water must be available to the colony, and equipment must be maintained in good condition. Also, the City could develop a standard for how many colonies are allowed on a lot based on the size of that lot. Within the City of Cottage Grove, the sales of agricultural products in residential districts are per- mitted but are limited to sales of products produced on the owner's property by a conditional use permit. The stand must not exceed 12 feet in height or 500 square feet in area, and the stand must be 40 or more feet away from the street line. As for the sales of agricultural products on nonresidential property in Cottage Grove, for example, farmer's markets, there are certain criteria that must be met. The sale must not occur within any public right-of-way, must be kept in a neat and orderly condition, and must be stored indoors or removed from the site at the end of each day. In addition, the owner of the temporary sale/farmer's market must have written permission from the current property owner to be located on the site. City code also emphasizes that processing, preparation, assembly, and production of merchan- dise are prohibited on site. The Farmer's Market at Cottage Grove United Church of Christ has become a great success. The market is in its 10th year, holding sales every Thursday night during the summer and fall months. The market's mission is to provide wholesome, locally produced food. As of 2013, the market became a part of the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. This initiative provides fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants. The Parks Commission has discussed starting their own farmer's market, but decided it would be best to find ways to help promote the existing farmers market and avoid competition. In regards to community gardens, the City does not set aside plots specifically for gardens. Rather, residents or neighborhoods interested in this opportunity should present their ideas to the City for review. This puts the initiative and effort on the shoulders of the community rather than the City. This has been shown to work well with previous park amenities like the Bike Park and Dog Park; when the City takes the lead, most of the maintenance is left up to the City. Currently there is no policy on how to apply for community gardens. However, if residents inquire, the City should encourage them to get their friends and neighbors together, identify a potential site, and layout how they plan to build, plant, and maintain the garden. The City could look at initiating a program that could bring together the City, community, busi- nesses, and non -profits to sustain and encourage a strong local food system. With this initiative, Environmental Commission Local Food Production, Urban Farming, and Beekeeping July 1, 2015 Page 7 of 7 the City can take part in providing a way to connect the community. The City may want to set aside plots for the community to start their own gardens, to lift some of the effort and initiative off the community. This could even be publicized as an invitation for residents to start their own garden. Certain criteria could be set for those interested in using the city plots, and criteria would need to be met in order to start the garden. This initiative would be a great way to boost the City's environmental impact while bringing the community together. The City is already taking great steps to advocate urban agriculture with the promotion of vertical grow towers, which were displayed at the Environmental Commission booth at Strawberry Fest. There are also other ways the City can educate the community about urban farming. An article in the monthly Cottage Grove newsletter could be dedicated to urban farming and community gar- dens. Information on how to start your own garden could be included here as well as education about urban agriculture and local food production. This would be a great way to publicize and encourage discussion about urban agriculture in the community. The City could promote and even host meetings that discuss urban farming techniques to those interested. The City could also look into hosting an informational session about how to start community gardens. These sessions would be ran by a representative from the University of Minnesota or an urban farming organiza- tion from the Twin Cities. The University of Minnesota has beekeeping courses that could be held at City Hall. The City has made noticeable progress to foster urban farming, and continuing this improvement would increase the overall sustainability of the City and create a more well-rounded community.