newrainiervista.com

The Seattle Community Farm at Rainier Vista is excited to unveil its final design (see previous post)! The feedback we heard from the neighborhood has helped to develop a beautiful design for growing, sharing, and gathering around food.

Our volunteer Landscape Architect, Eric Higbee, has been working with the Seattle Housing Authority, P-Patch Program, and Solid Ground in order to create a garden design that will enrich the Rainier Vista neighborhood and immediate surroundings.
The prominent characteristic of this design is the “long tables.” Three long tables will stretch the width of the cul-de-sac at S. Lilac Street. These tables will be used for teaching, eating, and harvesting. Whether or not you’re an avid gardener, this space belongs to everyone in the neighborhood. Coffee, barbeques, and birthday parties are all encouraged!

A children’s garden will be developed south of the cul-de-sac, while terraced garden beds will be built on the northern end. Compost bins will dot the western edge of the garden, and there are plans for a street painting in the cul-de-sac. We heard from many residents that the space should be fenced in; a four foot fence is planned for the food production space in the garden.

The Seattle Community Farm at Rainier Vista is currently accepting proposals from contractors, with construction slated to begin in July. Community members are invited to join the work parties beginning in August, with an opening celebration on September 25th, 2010. If you would like to be involved with small construction projects or artistic contributions to the garden, please contact us! You can reach Leslie Heimer and Jamie Robinson, the Farm’s Outreach & Development team, at 206.694.6829 or urbanfarm@solid-ground.org. Do you have ideas for scarecrows, worm bins, garden signs, or another art project? Give us a call!

On behalf of the whole team at the Seattle Community Farm project, we can’t wait to work and grow alongside you in the garden…

The final design for the Urban Farm (going in at the north end of the Vista) has been approved and released. If the little image above isn’t enough, there’s a large PDF file available as well.

Timeline information has not been announced or released yet.

Come learn about summer youth programs, adult programs, community resources, and services, etc! Food, fun and raffles will all be part of the fun festivities! The event will be held on Wednesday, June 9th at 6pm to 8pm and will be held at the RV Boys and Girls Club. This event is for adults and youth!

The event is hosted by the following organizations:
Horn of Africa Services, Nature Consortium, NeighborCare Health, Neighborhood House, Rainier Valley Boys and Girls Club, Refugee Women’s Alliance (REWA), Seattle Housing Authority, Solid Ground/Lettuce Link, Sound Transit, Southeast Seattle Senior Center, Wellspring Family Services

Last night, many Rainier Vista residents gathered at the Neighborhood House to discuss the Seattle Community Farm. The event was coordinated by Solid Ground, the Department of Neighborhoods, and our volunteer Landscape Architect, Eric Higbee. Eric has prepared three design alternatives for the farm, working off of the input from our first community meeting in March.

The participants from last night’s meeting gave a tremendous amount of feedback—ranging from general design favorites to compost locations and building materials. Eric will consider all comments as he prepares a final design in the coming weeks. If you were unable to attend the meeting, and you would like to share your thoughts on the design alternatives, please take a look at the illustrations for the three alternative plans (these are large images and will take a moment to load):

Alt A: The Long Table

Alt B: Old Houses Still Cook

Alt C: Under One Roof

Send your comments to urbanfarm@solid-ground.org. Or you can reach the Farm Outreach and Development team, Leslie Heimer and Jamie Robinson, at 206.694.6829

Once a final design is created, it will be posted on this website, on the physical farm site, and at the Rainier Vista Neighborhood House. If all goes well, construction should begin in June.

There will be a community meeting for the Urban Farm next Monday, April 26, at 6pm. The landscape architect will be presenting the three designs he’s developed out of the comments and feedback from the last community meeting in March. Monday’s meeting should include an opportunity to provide further feedback and refinement on these designs as well as a chance to ask questions about the project in general.

Monday, April 26
6pm - 8pm
Neighborhood House - Paul Allen room
Dinner and interpretation will be provided.

Questions or comments? Contact urbanfarm@solid-ground.org.

At the March 3rd community meeting we learned a lot about what Rainier Valley wants from the Seattle Community Farm.

We wanted to give Rainier Vista residents the opportunity to formulate design ideas for the Seattle Community Farm that will be constructed in the neighborhood starting in May. This garden space will belong to the community, so the ideal design needs to reflect the preferences of the community members and meet programmatic needs.

Meeting Feedback
We created visual, hands-on, and easy to translate surveys to determine community member preferences.

According to the survey results, the garden design should follow these general guidelines:

• General garden aesthetic: tidy and well kept aesthetic
• Garden beds: organic shapes, sustainable and natural materials
• Fences: inviting and natural looking and not too obtrusive
• Gathering places: covered gathering space with tables
  We also asked the five language groups (English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tigrinya, and Somali) what they would like to do and eat during free time in the garden. Residents came up with everything from eating and cooking, to story telling, visiting, dancing and playing games. Foods ranged from traditional foods to typical American picnic fare.

  Residents also drew pictures of a farm. Many included animals and shed/barn structures. Many had fruit bearing trees and vegetables in beds.

  What we know coming out of the meeting
  Residents are excited about the garden and have definite opinions about garden appearance and purpose. Preference was expressed for tidy and neat, yet lush and green spaces. We also learned that we need to be more specific about what the garden is and how the programs there will work.

  What’s Next?
  The landscape architect is preparing three designs that incorporate the above feedback. These designs should be finished by next week and in late April, we will hold a community meeting to choose among the three designs!

  We will be in the New Rainier Vista neighborhood over the next few weeks, visiting and distributing flyers for the new meeting. We hope that final construction documents will be formed from the outcome of this meeting. Next, construction can start in the middle of May and that community work parties can begin in June, with the first beds planted that month!

  If you have any questions about the results of our meeting on March 3rd, or how to be involved in the future, please contact Jamie Robinson or Leslie Heimer at urbanfarm@solid-ground.org or (206) 694.6829.

There was an informative one-sheet about the Urban Farm available at the P-Patch Gardeners’ Gathering this morning. Here’s the scoop:

Seattle Community Farm

• Will turn unused urban land into a farm for local residents and volunteers, with the produce going to low-income residents, the Rainier Valley Food Bank, Teen and Childcare programs.
• Is modeling a shared garden rather than individual plots.
• Will have staff on-site managing operations and coordinating volunteers; residents who volunteer will receive fresh produce.
• Will help teach children and youth about gardening and eating healthy foods.
• Will respect the ethnic, racial and cultural richness of Rainier Valley.
• Is a partnership among Solid Ground, Seattle Housing Authority, the P-Patch Program, and YOU.

Expected Timeline

• Nov 09 - Feb 10: Talking with Rainier Valley residents and service providers about the concept, soliciting concerns and visionary ideas.
• Mar - May 2010: Design meetings and design work
• May - June 2010: Land terracing, construction and community work parties
• June - July 2010: First seeds planted
• Sept 2010: Official opening and community celebration

How can you be involved?
Design: From your suggestions offered at the March 3rd design meeting, the volunteer Landscape Architect, Eric Higbee, will create three options. In April, we will ask you for your feedback and this will help create a final design that we will share with you before construction.
Create: Join coordinated work parties to lay paths, dig garden beds, haul compost, plant and craft art for the site.
Garden: Plant, weed, harvest, eat and learn together. Produce will be shared with volunteers who need it and with the Rainier Valley Food Bank and other programs. There is no fee to participate, just a dedication and willingness to work together.

The Seattle Community Farm and Good Food Project is creating an urban farm at New Rainier Vista to grow food for hungry people while providing garden education, market garden & retail produce opportunities in Rainier Valley, the Central Area, and Delridge. For more information on the Seattle Community Farm, email urbanfarm@solid-ground.org.

On March 3rd the Seattle Community Farm team held a meeting with the community of Rainier Vista. The meeting was held to get a better understanding of the people who live in the neighborhood, and how it functions as a community. One portion of the meeting was dedicated to the new urban farm–with the intention of gathering feedback for its design.

The meeting was a total success! We had dinner donated from restaurants in the area and free childcare. About 50 people came to the meeting from seven different language groups- with interpreters for five languages- Somali, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Amharic. Using visual surveys and conversational exercises, we got some great responses. Our wonderful landscape architect, Eric Higbee, is currently using neighborhood feedback to guide his design process.

Look back for updates! Designs for the Seattle Community Farm will be available for public response in April. And as always, if you have any questions please feel free to call (206) 694-6829 or email urbanfarm@solid-ground.org.

Join your neighbors, the architects for the RV Master Plan, SHA, Neighborhood House, Boys & Girls Club and Urban Farm designers for dinner and an interactive evening.

Wednesday, March 3
6pm - 8:30pm
Boys & Girls Club

We want to learn about you and how it is to live here. You can also participate in design of the new Urban Farm to be constructed this spring and summer at the north end of New Rainier Vista. Plans currently include giving gardens, seed saving, and a youth garden. Kids are welcome. There will be an activity table for children.

If you are unable to attend but would like to provide feedback you can request a survey form from Kim Lokan, architect, at kimlokan@gmail.com.

Save the date for a Neighborhood Survey and Garden Design Meeting and Dinner.

March 3, 2010
6pm - 8:30pm
Boys & Girls Club

Bring the family and have a say in the design, use and programs of the new Urban Farm going in at the north end of New Rainier Vista. Plans currently include giving gardens, seed saving, and a youth garden. What else would help you benefit most from our farm?