City Farm TLH Breaks Ground in Greater Bond
Urban Farm and Entrepreneurial Training Program Taking Root in Pilot Location
October 19, 2020
Today, the Mayor and City Commissioners celebrated the first City Farm TLH with a groundbreaking event held at the site of the future urban farm and entrepreneurial training program.
Working together with the Greater Bond Community Action Team, the vacant City-owned parcel at 530 Kissimmee Street was chosen as the location for the pilot City Farm TLH. This initiative supports priorities in both the City of Tallahassee’s five-year Strategic Plan and the Greater Bond Neighborhood First Plan.
“City Farm TLH is a creative way to turn an underutilized property into a community asset. We are excited to see this pilot urban farm take shape and create a sustainable urban farming business certificate program to encourage local entrepreneurship,” Mayor John Dailey said.
Funded by a Knight Foundation grant, City Farm TLH is part of the City’s "Vacant to Vibrant” initiative aimed at addressing blight by repurposing vacant properties. This supports the City Commission's focus on enhancing the quality of life enjoyed by residents and the City's vision for cultivating a strong community with vibrant neighborhoods.
In addition to providing a site for the innovative urban farming and entrepreneurship elements of this program, the pilot farm will also help provide affordable, fresh fruits and vegetables to the surrounding neighborhood.
Early activity to transform the lot into an urban farm includes using coverings and mulch to help prepare the soil and plot the farm and the installation of a storage shed. Fall planting will begin in the near future. To further root the farm in the community, recruitment will begin soon for the entrepreneurial training program; preference will be given to residents who live in Greater Bond.
The City Farm TLH team will be at the Southside Farmers Market on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 2-6 p.m. to answer questions and share more information about City Farm TLH. The Southside Farmers Market is held at the Walker-Ford Community Center, 2301 Pasco Street.
City Farm TLH is one of several projects the City is working on collaboratively with residents of Greater Bond in support of the Greater Bond Neighborhood First Plan. You can find updates about City Farm TLH at Talgov.com/CityFarmTLH. To learn more about the Greater Bond Neighborhood First Plan, please call 850-891-8795 or email Neighborhoods@Talgov.com.
Contact Information
Alison Faris, Communications Department, 850-891-8533