EDITOR’S NOTE: This post does not necessarily represent the opinions, ideas or future plans of the Community Garden and/or the individual gardeners, but are those of Daniel Hoviss.
The news is that there is a buyer for the property that the community gardens and farmers market use.
This may be the last year for BOTH garden and Farmers Market unless you get involved.
This is the same organization that walked away from the table at the Basketville project to build affordable housing because they did not want to make the project green and more sustainable. So we are talking about the loss of open space, and the construction of buildings that will in all likelihood not be green, since that is not a state mandated requirement for affordable housing.
I am sharing a vision – quickly put together.
There are three components to this vision, which includes a cooperative venture with the land trusts, the Community garden, the Farmers market and the Putney COOP.
I think there is value in preserving open space for community garden / Farmer market, and public land. I see a permanent water system, with fruit trees, perma-culture open space and a public community solar installation or community building possibly on the south side of the gardens. Parcels on the south side of the road could be sold for expressly for green building / multi family style super-efficient housing.
Multi-family housing purchased by homeowners that want to be part of an intentional community, close to downtown, coop/market and gardens.
Owners would have electricity from the community solar and or would enjoy a plot of land in the central garden area for gardening.
More ideas here:
goals are similar to something like this;
http://thesolarvillage.com/
The Coop parking area would be extended onto the south side of the road, just north of the Farmers Market tents. They may want more parking than that.
See the picture.