Excerpt from The Day newspaper:
"A plan to create several affordable homes in the eastern section of the city will require the uprooting of a local community garden, setting up a clash between two competing neighborhood needs: new residences and easily accessible fresh food.
But one part of that land includes a community garden that was created by FRESH New London and is now overseen by the Riverside Park Conservancy. Since its introduction in 2013, the garden’s beds have been used by more than a dozen gardeners each year to grow fresh produce, FRESH Administrative Director Seanice Austin said Wednesday.
'We know of the importance of affordable housing, but not at the expense of removing a long-standing food space in a neighborhood that’s seen its resources taken away over the years,' Austin said. 'The city shouldn’t be doing this unilaterally without consulting the community.'
The City Council on Monday referred the potential sale of the Adelaide Street parcel to the Planning and Zoning Commission for an administrative recommendation. Council members were sympathetic to the gardeners’ concerns, but most seemed eager to introduce new housing options into the city.
Austin said she wants the city to come up with a long-term plan to maintain green space in the city, one that would prevent the kinds of situation now facing the community garden.
'This (neighborhood) is a food desert, and the 15 to 18 people renting these beds do so to grow food for their families and neighbors,' Austin said."
Read the full article HERE 
