Big Ideas for Small Business: Urban Agriculture/Gardening for Greenbacks

CITY OF CLEVELAND — GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS PROGRAM Kevin Schmotzer, Executive for Small Business Growth

City of Cleveland, Department of Economic

Development

601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 210

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

(216) 664-3720

[email protected]

Tracey Nichols, Director

City of Cleveland, Department of Economic

Development

601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 210


(216) 664-3611

[email protected]

CITY OF CLEVELAND—OFFICE OF

SUSTAINABILITY Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability

City of Cleveland, Office of Sustainability

601 Lakeside Avenue,


(216) 664-3720

[email protected]

BURTEN BELL CARR DEVELOPMENT, INC. URBAN AGRICULTURE

INNOVATION ZONE Tim Tramble, Executive Director

Burten Bell Carr Development, Inc.

7201 Kinsman Road, Suite 104


(216) 341-1455

[email protected]

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County

Morgan Taggart, Program Specialist

URBAN AGRICULTURE INFORMATION

URBAN AGRICULTURE

CITY OF CLEVELAND

GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS

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CITY OF CLEVELAND

SUSTAINABLE 2019: YEAR OF LOCAL FOOD

LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IN CLEVELAND

All over the country, food systems are currently being re-localized and connected to well-integrated

business ecosystems. Cleveland is on the path to doing the same. Over the last several years there

have been many new farmers markets established making fresh fruits and vegetables more available.

Strong local food systems not only support economic development, they also contribute to ecological

and environmental health, social justice and local jobs. Farmers, food processors, and retailers

benefit while keeping money circulating in the local economy. Eating local reduces the ecological

footprint, decreases the need for packaging, supports the preservation of diverse heirloom and

heritage varieties and reduces concerns about food safety. Most

important – it is fresher, more nutritious and better tasting!

The City’s local and sustainable purchasing Ordinance promotes

purchasing of local and sustainable produced products, goods and

services. The City offers a 5% discount to local food businesses

bidding for City contracts. In 2008, Sustainlane ranked Cleveland

as the second best City in the nation for its local foods/agriculture

CLEVELAND: 4th Most Visionary City in the WORLD

by Yahoo Travel for the Urban Farming movement Cleveland was the ONLY US City mentioned!

Cleveland was the ONLY US City mentioned!

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URBAN AGRICULTURE

The Department of Economic Development provides low interest loans for entrepreneurs opening or

expanding retail businesses in the City of Cleveland through the Neighborhood Retail Assistance Pro-

gram (“NRAP”). The loans have assisted in the financing for many restaurants throughout the City.

A small portion of these loans may be forgiven if the business incorporates green, energy efficient,

and/or sustainable activities into their projects. One of the sustainable activities that is encouraged is

the purchase of local produce. Many restaurants have taken advantage of this program and incorporate

local produce on their menus . Following are just a few restaurants that support local agriculture by

purchasing fruits and vegetable from urban farms in Cleveland or growing produce on their property.

The Greenhouse Tavern 2038 East Fourth Street


Chinato 2079 East Fourth Street


L’Albatros Brasserie and Bar 11401 Bellflower Road


Spice Kitchen and Bar 5800 Detroit Avenue

LOCAL RESTAURANTS THAT SUPPORT URBAN FARMING

SOHO Kitchen and Bar 1889 West 25th Street


Lucky’s Cafe 777 Starkweather Avenue


Hodge’s 668 Euclid Avenue


Vegetable and herb garden on the patio of Lucky’s Café in Cleveland’s Tremont Neighborhood

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CITY OF CLEVELAND

URBAN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ZONE

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URBAN AGRICULTURE

In the summer of 2008, the City of Cleveland introduced and passed legislation which created the

Gardening for Greenbacks programs that provides grants up to $3,000 to businesses, merchants, or

local farmers. The program assists with the acquisition of tools, irrigation equipment, fencing, and

other appropriate items needed for urban gardening. The grant is provided to entrepreneurs who sell

their produce through local farmers’ markets or to local restaurants as a for-profit business basis. The

program was created to advance the local food system agenda and establish Cleveland as a model for

local food system development. The City has funded 13 urban farms through the Gardening for

Greenbacks Program.

HISTORY OF GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS

CITY FUNDED URBAN GARDENS INCLUDING GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS PROGRAM SUMMARY

Grant Recipients Address Ward City

Assistance

Total

Project

cost

Jobs

Created or to

be Created

Program

Year

Akusika Nkomo Mackey dba

Africa House 1695 E. 81

st Street 6 $3,000 $6,500 1 2009

New Image Life Skills Acade-

my, Inc.

Corner of 10820 Frank

Avenue 6 $3,000 $5,000 1 2009

Urban Growth, Inc. 2156 W. 48th Street 14 $3,000 $4,500 1 2009

Gardens Under Glass 1301 E. 9th Street 3 $3,000 $38,000 1 2010

Green Urban Enterprises 4790 W. 130th Street 18 $3,000 $3,300 1 2010

Ohio City Inc. d.b.a Ohio City

Farm W.24

th and Bridge 3 $3,000 $3,000 1 2010

Refugee Response W.24th and Bridge 3 $3,000 $3,000 1 2010

Molly Murray dba Erie Edge

Farm

2165-2169 Columbus

Road and 4512-4514

Clinton Avenue

3 $3,000 $3,450 1 2011

Kevin Kubovcik d.b.a Old

Brooklyn Farm 4204 W. 24

th Street 13 $3,000 $4,000 1 2011

Lucia’s Fresh Produce ltd 4204 W. 24th Street 13 $3,000 $3,100 1 2011

Afro American Research &

Development Association

Corner of E. 30th St.&

Cedar Ave. 5 $3,000 $5,000 1 2011

Central Roots 5905 Thackery Ave. &

W. 25th and Franklin

5 $3,000 $3,100 2 2011

Angela Cavotta d.b.a

Cavotta’s Garden Ctr.

19603 Nottingham

Road 11 $3,000 $3,035 1 2011

Diane Morgan d.b.a. Maggie's

Farm 3413 W. 63

rd Street 15 $3,000 $3,200 1 2012

Needham Gardens LLC 12021 Kirton Ave. 18 $3,000 $5,850 1 2012

TOTAL $45,000 $94,035 16

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CITY OF CLEVELAND


Afro-American Research & Development Association

Afro-American Research and Development Association is the

garden arm of a 501c(3) non-profit. The project used City

funds to partially finance equipment for garden expansion in

the Central neighborhood that incorporated sustainable initia-

tives, which includes raised beds and a hoop house. The com-

pany has built a successful garden in conjunction with CMHA

over the past two years at E. 33rd Street and Cedar Avenue.

Mr. Frank Kidd has successfully grown produce for the pur-

pose of providing healthy food to CMHA residents and has

sold produce and fresh vegetables to Dave’s Supermarket.

Cavotta’s Garden Center

Cavotta’s Garden Center received approval for the City’s

Gardening for Greenbacks Program grant to fund their

expansion needs including equipment, and natural soil

ingredients. Angela Cavotta is the current owner and

operator of this 80 year old multi-generational family

owned Garden Center and market garden located at 19603

Nottingham Road, in the Collinwood Neighborhood. The

project will incorporate sustainable initiatives. To

maximize revenues, the owner also plans to adopt

improved farming techniques and to restore the existing

greenhouses and bring them back to 365 day vegetable

and fruit production, with the produce marketed on site.

Central Roots, Inc.

The owners of Central Roots received approval under the

Gardening for Greenbacks Program to fund the purchase

of tools, equipment and an irrigation system. Central

Roots, LLC is an urban farm enterprise that operates on

a ½ acre at 5905 Thackeray Ave and a ¾ acre at West

25th & Franklin Avenue with the goal of distributing

their fruit and vegetable production through multiple

channels including farmer’s markets, on-site farm stands,

restaurant sales, and community supported agriculture

shares. The company plans to create two full time

equivalent jobs over the next three years as a result of

the project.

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URBAN AGRICULTURE


.

The City of Cleveland, through a variety of Public-Private Partnerships, has supported many of the

projects in the Lower Kinsman Corridor. The Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone was a previous

residential area, adjacent to an heavy industry area– much like the majority of the City of Cleveland

with its manufacturing heritage. The area was consumed by a fire in 1976, due to low water pres-

sure in the area. Only a few houses remained after the fire. The City provided funding for the envi-

ronmental testing working with the USEPA to insure the area would be safe for farming adaptive

reuse.

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CITY OF CLEVELAND


Bistro at Bridgeport Place

The City of Cleveland assisted Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. with a match of $40,000 to help

them win an HHS grant of $759,374 to establish a fresh food production center. The aim is to improve

access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nutritious

meals and eliminate food deserts in underserved

communities. It will feature fresh food stands, a

cafe with hot meals and organic foods made from

local products and a community kitchen where

local farmers can clean and store produce and

where chefs will hold cooking demonstrations to

show residents how to prepare healthy meals. The

construction for the project will begin in February

and is expected to serve at least 20,000 residents in

the first year and create 64 jobs for low-income

residents.

Rid All Green Partnership

Rid All Green Partnership, a minority-owned business

founded by three local entrepreneurs, Randell

McShepard, Damien Sorshe, and Keymah Durden, and

has become a key partner in the vision of the Urban

Agricultural Innovation Zone. Their current facility

uses urban agriculture to educate the next generation of

Clevelanders about sustainable healthy living.

The mission of Rid All Green Partnership is to

transform communities by providing accessible and

nutritionally rich food to improve overall health through

training and educational activities. They currently

harvest 150 to 200 pounds of vegetables per week

during the peak growing season in the agricultural zone.

They operate a self-sustaining food production system

that produces over 100 pounds of tilapia and tons of

vegetables per year through aquaponics, a year-round

growing method. They have partnered with the West

Side Market and Cleveland Food Bank to collect food

waste for composting.

Rid All Green Partnership is seeking to increase its

capacity by expanding the space it has to operate. They are proposing to create additional hydroponics

and aquaponics stations at the project site across from their current facility. This will allow them to

use their existing hoop houses to grow kale, spinach, celery, and broccoli in the winter months, while

the new structure will focus on tomatoes which are scarce in the Cleveland during the winter months.

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URBAN AGRICULTURE


Erie’s Edge Farm

Erie’s Edge Farm began when Molly Murray returned to

Cleveland after teaching and farming in southern Ohio. In

2011, Erin Laffay also returned to Cleveland and the two

women decided to partner and expand with the goal of

reaching more people with organic, sustainably grown

food. The farm is collaborating with Urban Growth Farm

to form the Heart of the City CSA. Community Supported

Agriculture is an arrangement between a farm and its

customers in which customers pay up-front for a full

season’s worth of produce and receive a share each week

of what is harvested. CSA programs benefit the farmers

by providing up-front dollars for supplies as well as a

guaranteed market for what they grow. They benefit the

shareholders by connecting them to the seasons, and

developing a lifestyle of wellness and less energy use.

Proprietors Erin Laffay and Molly Murray at

their stand at the Tremont Farmer’s Market

Green Urban Enterprises LLC d.b.a. Old Husher’s

Farm

Green Urban Enterprises LLC d.b.a Old Husher’s Farm, is

a market garden located at 4790 West 130th Street. The

company received the City’s Gardening for Greenbacks

Program support to partially fund start up gardening

related equipment, machinery, furniture and fixtures. The

project uses food growth as an agent of change in an

attempt to bring vacant urban land to productive reuse. In

addition to incorporating green sustainability and

entrepreneurial gardening initiatives, Green Urban

Enterprises will also focus on creating healthy bodies

through the implementation of a “community yoga in the

garden” series. They sell their produce at local farmers

markets and on-site during the growing season.

Lucia’s Fresh Produce Ltd.

Lucia’s Fresh Produce, Ltd is an urban entrepreneurial market

garden located at 4204 West 24th Street, in Cleveland. They plan

to harvest produce from raised beds and market their crops

directly to local restaurants and residents. This market garden is

owned and operated by Wilfredo and Phyllis Crespo. The

company received funding approval for the City’s Gardening for

Greenbacks Program to partially finance a hoop house,

equipment, furniture, and fixtures necessary to operate. Lucia’s

Produce Ltd will not use pesticides or herbicides in 2011, and

seeks to earn the “Certified Naturally Grown” seal. The

company plans to create one new job as a result of the project.

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CITY OF CLEVELAND


Urban Agriculture Incubator Pilot Project:

The project is a partnership of the City of

Cleveland, the Ohio State Department of

Agriculture, Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc.

and Ohio State University Extension- (Cuyahoga

County)

The project will develop six acres of City Land Bank

property as an Urban Agriculture Incubator between

East 81st and East 83rd Street, north of Kinsman

Avenue in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. The

Extension Service received the first-ever Federal

Agriculture grant for an urban location and the City

received the first-ever State Agriculture grant for an

urban location. As part of the local CDC’s

community plan, the area in the Central neighborhood

was designated for agricultural development. The site

will include an instruction area where 20 prospective

farmers will receive intensive training in urban

agriculture, direct marketing, and business planning.

The Department of Community Development will

make 6 acres of land available for the program

through its Land Bank program and manage the

leasing of property to program participants. Each of

the farmers will be provided quarter-acre market

garden plots for cultivation.

The Urban Agriculture Zone includes

the Ridall Green Partnership and the

Cooperative Extension’s Kinsman

Farm, with room to grow.

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URBAN AGRICULTURE

Green City Growers:

The City of Cleveland was the first to receive Federal and State grants for the development of urban

agriculture. The City was awarded the following grants to assist Green City Growers, a local co-

operative, with their $16.5 million project: (1) a $2 million BEDI Grant, (2) $8 million in HUD 108

Loan funding secured by the City, (3) $450,000 in the City’s EDA Funds, and (4) approximately $6

million in private debt and New Markets Tax Credit equity.

The greenhouse will primarily produce lettuce and other leafy greens. It is expected to reach an annual

production of 3 million heads. One percent of the production will be provided to the Cleveland Food

Bank to be distributed throughout Cleveland’s east side. The donation is expected to provide

approximately 240,000 meals annually.

In addition, the project

will be part of the

Evergreen Initiative,

which works to help lift

low-income residents out

of poverty. The Initiative

focuses on hiring

individuals from the

neighborhood to become

employee-owners,

creating additional wealth

and ownership in the

community. In 10 years,

the average employee is

expected to have earned

an ownership share

valued at $65,000 in

equity. The Green City

Growers project expects

to hire 40 local residents

for the operation of the

greenhouse at peak

capacity. The project will

target individuals with criminal records and a history of homelessness in an attempt to offer a

pathway out of recidivism and poverty.

The City and Green City Growers partnered with the local non-profit CDC, Burten Bell Carr

Development, Inc. to assemble the individual parcels necessary for the 10-acre development

site. Land assembly required the acquisition of over 30 parcels in compliance with Uniform

Relocation Act regulations. The project team faced numerous challenges in moving homeowners

and provided services including real estate search assistance, extermination, moving, and creative

deal structures, including land swaps, in order to meet the needs of the relocated property owners.

GREEN CITY GROWERS

The Greenhouse under construction, May 2012.

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Big Ideas for Small Business: Urban Agriculture/Gardening for Greenbacks