Senate Bill S6343

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6343A

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to
providing assistance for community gardens


 PURPOSE OF BILL :
The purpose of this bill is to help support municipal community
gardens. This bill allocates a small portion of revenue generated by
the sale, transfer or lease of such former community gardens and
retains such funds for the continued support of local community
gardens. The municipality may use the 10% of retained funds to
purchase additional community garden lands, install capital
improvements to other municipally owned community gardens, or to
provide supplies and materials to support community garden activities.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :
Section 1: Adds Agriculture & Markets Law section 31-j which requires
that municipalities create an account, the "Community Gardens
Account", to be funded with ten percent of the proceeds from the sale,
transfer or lease of property that was used as a community garden. The
fund would only need to be established if such community garden was
sold, transferred or leased. The fund will be used for community
garden programs.

              

 JUSTIFICATION :
Community gardens provide open space, recreation, and food production
opportunities for thousands of New Yorkers and help to beautify
communities. Most of these gardens were created through sweat equity
by neighborhood residents who volunteered to clear abandoned lots and
create and maintain green space for use by seniors, children, school
groups, and summer camps. Many of the gardens have received honors and
some have received national press attention.

Most of the gardens are located in communities where residents do not
have yards or own a second home in the country where they could tend a
plot of land. These gardens are often the only "park" on the street.
Encouraging the maintenance of these gardens should help to bring
nature to urban neighborhoods where the existence of nature is not
self evident.

Gardens are also important for low-income citizens who, by working in
a community garden, can become more self-sufficient by growing their
own fresh produce. Further, money that would have been used to
purchase food can be used for other needs. Some of the garden sponsors
donate significant quantities of food to feeding programs to help
others.

Since such municipality benefits from the sale of land (that was
previously vacant and abandoned property) that had been transformed by
gardeners, it is appropriate that some of the proceeds be reinvested
back into community gardens. This bill provides support for the
continuation of the proud tradition of hard-working urban residents
taking the initiative to beautify and improve their city.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the 180th day after it shall have become
law.