Thanks to my alderman (Don Wilson, 4th ward) and one other alderman (Thomas Suffredin, 6th ward) for voting against this project. As you can see from the article (despite the headline), the basic project was approved, including the “organic garden center”.
In addition to the fact that there has been almost no public input on this project, here are some other problems that relate to the project, from the Food + Farms + Democracy perspective:
EVANSTON PUBLIC PROCESS
1. According to the article, the Economic Development staff knew about this project for “seven months” and were working with the developers on it. Why didn’t they invite Evanston residents and businesses into the conversation?
2. According to Ald. Wilson (via phone yesterday), projects that arise out of the Economic Development Department of Evanston are somehow able to avoid the PUD (Planned Unit Development) process that is the law for large, multi-use projects that ask for variances or extra City involvement (such as requests for City $$). When was this exemption approved and when did the public conversation take place about this fast tracking of certain projects?
3. The article states that the primary developer (David Brown) cited an August 1 deadline for the purchase of part of the property.
Given the size of the project, the location of the project, and the lack of public input all along the way, this is either (a) fear-mongering, or (b) a threat, neither of which is appropriate in working relationships or public process.
There are a number of other red flags about the lack of public process, which I will take up with the City of Evanston and fellow Evanston adults.
In terms of food-and-farm projects, there are a number of red flags about the garden center proposal:
FOOD-AND-FARM PROJECTS
1. "For-profit social enterprise" is an oxymoron (no matter what the IRS says), especially if you’re asking for public $$ and time and technical assistance from public officials (elected and staff). Existing similar businesses that have served this area for a long time (or even a short time without public $$) might object. Businesses that come to mind are Gethsemane, Anton’s, Cultivate, the new retail store by Green Edens (an established landscape company).
2. Peterson Garden Project has a recent and nearby history of not working with a given community on a project, e.g., the Howard street community garden project on the Chicago side, where many long-term community activists were ignored and the community was not involved in the planning, etc. (according to two informal accounts). Given that justice, democracy, inclusion, etc., are core values of the 21st century food-and-farm movement and that Peterson Garden Project has been part of that movement in Chicago for a number of years, this is a problem. (I might also add that justice, democracy, and inclusion have been promoted as core values of the U.S. since 1776.)
3. It is not clear whether the “organic garden center” is going to be organically certified. Given the extreme sensitivity to the use of the word “organic” in the food-and-farm movement (because of numerous hyper-current issues with the National Organic Standards Board), clarity in messaging is important. Are there any USDA certified organic garden centers? (If the reporter did not report accurately, I’m happy to do some legwork on that account.)
MOVING FORWARD
Early this morning, I was privately contacted by the Peterson Garden Project to talk about the proposed project. I have turned down the invitation for “coffee" (for obvious reasons).
In addition, since the project has now been approved, I suggested to PGP:
— one or more public meetings hosted by the developers, including Peterson Garden Project (I recommended at the very least one in Evanston, one in Chicago — or at least one joint meeting)
— that any public meeting(s) that are held about this project be posted on the AUA listserv (in addition to the appropriate Evanston and Chicago community outlets)
I know that these are difficult survival times for many of us (including myself). But every aspect of these difficult times is entirely human-created — more to the point, aided, abetted, and exacerbated by U.S. public policy — for which we are all responsible. And every aspect of the disfunction has to do with exclusion of people in decisions that affect our lives. “Representative” democracy is no longer an acceptable method of making decisions that affect all of us (if it ever was). Grassroots democracy is the only thing worth holding onto at this point. (In my opinion.)