On December 18, Mayor McGinn announced the creation of additional space for community gardening and urban agriculture in the city. Approximately 185 P-Patch community garden plots will be developed or made available, along with 14,500 square feet of land dedicated to large tract gardening.

On December 18, Mayor McGinn announced the creation of additional space for community gardening and urban agriculture in the city. Approximately 185 P-Patch community garden plots will be developed or made available, along with 14,500 square feet of land dedicated to large tract gardening.

Joining the Mayor at the announcement was Councilmember Sally Bagshaw; Joyce Moty, president of the P-Patch Trust; Erika Harris, a gardener from the Spring Street P-Patch; and Bernie Matsuno, director of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

Based on the recommendations by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee, the city is providing these opportunities by investing $427,000 of the inflationary funds that were not spent as part of the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy.  The funds will be used to add approximately 115 new community garden plots by building gardens in Licton Springs, First Hill and Capitol Hill and by adding additional plots to the Judkins P-Patch. It will also create two urban agriculture sites on city-owned land in Squire Park, and double the size of the Marra Farm Large Tract Project to provide additional gardening space for three low-income farmers. In addition, existing P-Patch plots will be resized in 13 P-Patch community gardens to provide gardening opportunities for 70 families.

In 2008, voters approved the Parks and Green Spaces Levy which earmarked $2 million to build four additional P-Patch community gardens. Through significant community involvement, leveraging of funds, and support from other city departments, the P-Patch Program will have completed 17 new gardens and expanded five existing gardens by 2014. The inflationary-funded projects will be completed in 2013 or 2014.

For details on the new projects, view a Fact Sheet and the map showing the existing and new levy projects. And for more information overall on the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy projects in community gardening, visit http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/levy.htm.