Long Beach, California: New Urban Agriculture Program to Turn Vacant Lots into Community Gardens, Commercial Farms

Vacant lot owners in Long Beach can now apply for the city’s new Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone (UAIZ) program, which reduces the property tax on lots committed to urban agriculture for five years.

By Asia Morris
Long Beach Post
November 27 2017

Excerpt:

“I encourage all vacant lot owners to take advantage of this rare opportunity,” Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “This UAIZ program creates a win-win situation, fostering economic growth in Long Beach while paving the way for more locally grown produce.”

“This initiative supports sustainability within our community by helping to increase access to healthy foods for residents and reducing emissions from food transportation,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

To qualify for the program, vacant lots must:

Be between 0.10 to 3 acres in size.
Have no habitable structures; all on-site structures must be accessory to agricultural use.
Not have any part of the lot listed on the Department of Toxic Substance Control’s EnviroStor Database.
Be within Long Beach City limits and comply with City zoning codes.
Urban agriculture can be defined by varying types of farming activities, including community and educational gardens, commercial farms with farm stands and more.

Read the complete article here.