We have a new lease on life!

Council Approves 10 Year Lease: April 1st 2015 - March 31 2025! Yes, you read that right. 2025! Can you believe it? Yesterday, March 10th 2015 marked a turning point in the history of the Oakley Community Gardens. The City Council voted unanimously to approve a new long term lease for the gardens at a site located within Creekside Park, 3900 Creekside Way Oakley. (click here for a map) (and here for the satellite view) (click here to read the city staff report on the new lease.)

The new site is a roughly oval shaped, fenced area at the northeast corner of the Park, overlooking Marsh Creek. Previously it was a BMX park, but has been shuttered for some time, growing weeds. We get to turn an eyesore into a jewel in Oakley's crown, while being located in an established park offers amenities like running water, paved parking, restrooms, and of course play and picnic areas. There will also be challenges, but we are confident that we can overcome them together. City Staff have already begun the process of removing the excess sand and grading the site. We are moving full speed ahead to lay out our new plots and get growing! One benefit of all this is that the new site is slightly larger than the 100'x100' box we had available for plots previously, allowing the creation of a limited number of new plots. If you weren't able to reserve a plot when we started last fall, contact Shawn Horrocks (our Garden Coordinator) immediately to put your name on our interest list. 3'x10' accessible raised beds will be $25, 10'x20' full plots will be $35. (The 10'x10' half plots have proven unpopular, so will be discontinued unless by request. A few $50 20'x25' mega plots will be created, but there is already a waiting list slightly larger than the supply.) For existing plotholders, your "plot license" is still valid through September 30th. You won't need to pay again unless you change plot sizes during the move. (Renewals will be due before August 31st, and of course fee amounts for next year are subject to change.) That's all good news for the plots, but what about the farm? As the farm is temporarily homeless, we will expect each plotholder to "plant a row for the hungry". The details will be worked out later, but our commitment and desire to share the bounty of the earth with those less fortunate remains. City Staff indicated that there are possible sites available for the farm project, or we may partner with private landowners. If you have ideas, land, or just want to get your hands dirty when we are able to get something going, let us know. Why a new lease? What was wrong with the old one? The Moura property is a truly wonderful property, right in the heart of town. It's painful to leave it behind, even though we hope it's only temporarily. It is our hope that we will be able to take part in the planning process, and return when it is more advantageous to do so. Last month we asked the city council to grant us a long term lease. We felt that this was necessary in order to pursue grant monies, without which we would never be able to afford to build a parking lot and really get all our dream projects growing. We were made to understand that the Moura property was not available to us long term in its current state, and it was suggested that we investigate other properties. We remain convinced that our core plans for the property are not at odds with the Council's, and believe that working together we could probable help each other to secure the grants to build a true center for the community. In the news again! We made the front page of the current issue of the Oakley Press.