(Toledo, OH) The Toledo Plan Commission is about to redefine urban gardening.
The plan commission will consider changes to Toledo municipal code regarding land uses-- prompted by the case of a Toledo man trying to establish an urban farm on three vacant central-city lots.
Online donors covered the $3,000 fine slapped on Thomas Jackson for refusing to remove mulch from his property-- and prompted other activists to pressure the city to rewrite the zoning code.
The plan commission proposal to be considered next week defines the difference between major and minor urban agriculture-- establishing rules for nurseries, greenhouses, and community gardens different from smaller operations that may involve composting or beekeeping.
The new zoning regulations borrow from research done on similar laws in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit and Pittsburgh, and draft rules from the Ohio EPA.