By a vote of 5 to 1, Rock Island City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that will establish regulations on urban agriculture in the city.
The lone no vote was Alderman Dylan Parker, 5th Ward. Alderwoman Jenni Swanson, 4th Ward, was absent from Monday’s city council meeting.
Monday’s meeting began at 5:45 p.m., the new time for Rock Island City Council meetings to begin.
A second vote is expected on the measure at the next council meeting on Oct. 13.
Among the rules being established by the ordinance are no crops exceeding four feet in height can be planted in the front yard on lots with an occupied structure. The gardening area on vacant lots should not be nearer to the front property line than any house on an adjoining property. However, the ordinance does allow people to request exceptions to those rules.
For lots with an occupied structure, people will be allowed to request a variance. For vacant lots, they will be allowed to request a special use permit.
The setback requirement is 10 feet on all sides of the property.
Alderman Glen Evans Sr., who represents the 1st Ward where many urban gardens are located, said in June that people in his ward have complained that the lots purchased by others adjacent to their homes have been turned into gardens, including community gardens, leading to problems such as maintenance issues or rodents.
Speaking Monday after the vote, Evans reiterated there are safety issues involved, too, as people have complained to him that they can’t see around corners while driving because of corn stalks.
“We need to get some stipulations regarding safety,” Evans said. “People need to be able to see around corners, and the plants should not be near the sidewalk where people are walking. Homeowners also need to be able to see down the sides of their house.”
Parker said he voted no to the ordinance the way it is written because he feels it infringes on the rights of home and property owners to grow food.
“I agree that regulating urban agriculture is a balancing act,” Parker said. “However, I simply believe that what was proposed tonight went too far. I think it infringed too much on private property owner’s rights to be able to use their property for growing food. It’s a pretty fundamental way in which human beings use land.”
Parker said that in particular, he objected to the limitation on the height of crops in the front yard of residences, which is four feet.
“So, we know what this is about,” Parker said. “It’s about corn, and I just thought that it went too far.”
Rock Island city staff recommended the city establish regulations on urban agriculture. The city has no regulations in place other than an urban chicken ordinance.
The recommended ordinance staff addresses urban gardens, urban farms, chicken keeping, beekeeping, livestock keeping and controlled grazing. The ordinance also makes a distinction between areas north and south of the Rock River, recognizing the more rural nature of southwest Rock Island.
In June, Rock Island aldermen voted unanimously to place a moratorium on the sale of residentially zoned city-owned vacant lots in most of the city to give city staff time to craft an urban agricultural ordinance.
In 2023, Rock Island began a program to sell the city owned properties because over the years the city had to buy the properties in order to raze dilapidated or abandoned houses.
When the program began, the city had more than 200 vacant lots for sale. It was hoped that neighboring property owners would buy the parcels that were being sold at a low cost and use them to expand their yards or homes. However, the properties were available to anyone who wanted to purchase them.
By selling the lots, it would get them out of the city’s hands, as Rock Island was spending a considerable amount of money to keep them maintained. It also would help to get those properties back on the tax rolls.
The idea of the lots being turned into gardens, particularly to grow produce, was not foreseen.
In other news:
Rock Island and the Rock Island Downtown Alliance will hold a Rebuild Downtown Rock Island Celebration at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, on the Green Lawn, 1801 Second Ave. The celebration marks the completion of the Rebuild Downtown Rock Island Project, a nearly $9 million investment.
The Fall Community Garage Sale and Vendor Fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Upper Longview Park, 1300 17th St. There will be 6,000 square-feet of makers’ market, garage sale and craft vendors for toys, home decor, furniture, trinkets, home-made items, vendors and more.
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