Zoning for urban agriculture

Sustainable Cities - Landowners and developers in Santa Clara County, California may have greater motivation to turn vacant lots into urban farms, thanks to an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone proposal by county supervisors Ken Yeager and Mike Wasserman.

A recently passed state law, the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones Act, was authored by Phil Ting, an Assemblymember from San Francisco.

It provides property tax breaks for landowners who use their vacant, blighted or unimproved land for urban agriculture for at least five years.

The act applies to properties between 0.10 acres and 3 acres in an urban area. California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 551 into law on September 28, 2013.

Home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County’s character is decidedly urban. But this was not always the case—since 1984, the county has lost 45 percent of its farmland.

Not only would increased urban agriculture in the county reclaim land for agriculture, but would help reconnect residents with their food, increase access to healthy food for those living in poverty and aid in boosting people’s health.

“An Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone is another promising weapon in the fight against our obesity and diabetes epidemics,” says Yeager. “As an added bonus, it helps reduce blight while expanding economic opportunities.