In a victory for urban farmers and growers, the Des Moines City Council approved code changes Monday to make the city friendlier to those who want to transform unoccupied land into community gardens and farms.
The City Council also unanimously OK'd allowing a garden, the Woodland Realm, to reopen after city officials shut it down about a year ago due to code violations. Both items were up for preliminary votes, but council members waived a second and third reading for final approval.
Last month the city's Plan and Zoning Commission gave an early nod to several amendments to the municipal code meant to protect gardens, allowing owners to host events and sell produce grown on-site. The move reflects a departure from how the city previously has treated such urban gardens, including evicting those on municipal property in favor of leaving the land vacant for unspecified redevelopment and requiring that gardens abide by stricter standards than their residential neighbors.
Read more at the Des Moines Register