Have a green thumb and a vacant property? The Community Development Department is accepting Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone applications. This program was created to encourage property owners to dedicate their vacant lots to urban agriculture uses for a period of five years and, in return, receive a property tax reduction. Applications are now being accepted.
The Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Ordinance was approved by City Council in August 2016. The Oak Park Sol Community Garden is one of the properties that applied last Fall and now benefits from lower property taxes as a result of the city’s Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone. The Oak Park Sol Community Garden transformed a vacant lot into a community asset. The property tax reduction is one way that the City can reward the property owner for dedicating the lot to urban agriculture and encourage similar urban agriculture projects in the city.
Join us for a pre-application workshop to learn more about the program.
Workshop Topic: How to Apply for an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Contract
Date: Monday, August 28, 2017
Time: 5:30-6:30 pm
Location: Community Development Department, 300 Richards Blvd., 2nd Floor, Conference Room 221
Key topics to be covered:
- Eligibility criteria
- The Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Application process
- How to prepare an application
- The terms of the contract
- Schedule and deadlines
The Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Application is available online. Deadline to apply is November 1, 2017 by 3:15 pm.