GATHERING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK FOR A POTENTIAL URBAN GARDEN IN ELKS PARK
In October 2023, over 3,000 Evanston residents voted to bring a new one-acre urban farm to life, making this “urban farm” one of only seven projects selected out of 20 through Evanston's Participatory Budgeting (PB) process. Because of EG's proven success in productive and attractive, community-focused gardening, the City's PB Committee asked EG to be the contractor to "realize" the new 1-acre garden.
After extensive research and analysis of sites around Evanston, a new potential location was identified at Ridgeville Park District’s (RPD) Elks Park at the corner of Callan and Mulford in south Evanston. A community meeting to gather input on this potential site will take place Thursday, November 13 at 7 pm at the Ridgeville Park District Community House, 908 Seward St. Evanston Grows encourages all residents to participate and help shape the future of this community-powered project. In addition, residents are encouraged to share input through the Evanston Grows Elks Park Urban Garden Survey. Click here to access the survey.
The proposed garden will offer free, fresh, organic produce to Evanston residents, create green jobs for local teens and adults, and provide hands-on education in everything from gardening to cooking. With 1 in 6 Evanston residents facing food insecurity—and grocery prices on the rise—this initiative is a meaningful step toward a healthier, more equitable community for everyone.
What is an urban Garden?
An “urban garden” is a community-based agricultural project — really a large garden — located in a city or densely populated area where people grow food—often fruits, vegetables, and herbs—within or near urban neighborhoods. Urban gardens are different from traditional rural farms in that they are designed not just for food production but also for community benefit, resilience, and education. Because we do not have tractors or large equipment, the “urban garden” is truly a large vegetable, herb and flower garden.
Scale
Urban Farms or Gardens can range from small backyard plots to multi-acre community farms. The Elks Park Urban Garden would be no larger than one acre in size.
Benefits of ThE ELKS PARK URBAN GARDEN
The Elks Park Urban Garden will be a vibrant space providing fresh, organic produce for FREE to Evanston residents. It will also create green jobs for local teens and adults, and foster a stronger, more equitable Evanston.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of a community garden.
Free fresh produce for the community
Job Training for teens and adults
Educational field trips for area youth
Evanston Grows programming
Current Evanston Grows' 5th Ward Programming
Evanston Grows' already partners with several community-focused urban farms and gardens, including an urban farm site at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, Emerson Square Garden, the Evanston Food Exchange & Family Focus’ Foster Street Garden, IWSE, and Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. Each of these spaces actively involves the community — through volunteer opportunities, youth field trips, job-training programs for interns, hands-on workshops, and free-food distributions.
We have free-food distributions in front of Fleetwood on Tuesdays from June through October and at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ’s Food Pantry on Saturdays. Elks Park will not be a free food distribution location, although Evanston Grows’ will look for a organization to partner with in order to distribute free produce in the Ridgeville community.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the proposed urban garden:
Is the urban garden a commercial farm? No. We don’t have tractors or any type of large machinery. Zoning will not be changed to commercial zoning.
Is the urban garden a gated garden? We will have a 4-ft fence, but only to keep wildlife out. The garden is in a park and will be a resource and gathering space for the community aligned with the mission of the park.
How will community feedback shape the garden? Thanks for asking! We are in the process of gathering feedback now. Scroll down to the next section. We’d love your input!
Click here to see answers to other frequently asked questions.
Community Feedback Timeline
Week of October 20:
Email to Ridgeville Park District 2,000-address email list and to Alderman Matt Rogers’ Eighth Ward email list.
Proposed garden site and feedback opportunity information posts on Facebook and Instagram
Posters and flyers posted in the neighborhood.
Week of October 27
Lawn signs installed in neighborhood surrounding Elks Park.
1600-postcard mailing to residents living within four blocks of Elks Park, inviting neighbors to give feedback through survey and Nov. 13 meeting attendance
Week of November 10
Email, social media reminders for November 13 input meeting.
November 13
Meeting held at Ridgeville Park District Community House for community feedback regarding a proposed Elks Park Urban Garden
Thursday, November 13 at 7 PM
Ridgeville Community House, 908 Seward St
November 22
Email sent out for the December 7th Q&A Session at Elks Park and social media begins to alert neighbors.
December 7
Meeting held at Elks Park for a Q&A regarding a proposed Elks Park Urban Garden with Ridgeville Park staff and Evanston Grows.
Sunday, December 7 at 10 AM
Elks Park, 301 Callan Avenue
December 11
Park District Board of Directors Meeting held at Ridgeville Park District Community House.
Thursday, December 11 at 7 PM
Ridgeville Community House, 908 Seward St