How Will the Garden Affect Our Neighbors?

On February 14th, a letter was distributed to the neighbors closest to the Pleasant Ave. property, describing the community garden project with an invitation to share comments or concerns about the plan with our group.

Several important issues were raised in response, with regards to privacy concerns, problems with noise, and the possibility of run-off from watering the garden causing flooding on downhill properties.

Our group is eager to work together with our neighbors to identify these kinds of problems with our plans, and we are ready and willing to alter our project in any way that is needed to accommodate their concerns. Our goal is to make the garden a welcome addition to the area, by developing a plan that respects everyone's needs, and keeps the overall impact of the community garden on the surrounding neighborhood as low as possible.

Some possible solutions for problems with privacy, noise, and garden run-off:

• We can locate the garden as far back into the field as possible, to provide some distance between our neighbors' properties and people working in the garden.

• For safety and security purposes, we can restrict access to the garden to daylight hours only. We can also reduce our operating hours further if needed to prevent unnecessary disturbances.

• Neighbors can be surveyed to determine which hours of the day or days of the week would be acceptable for children's programs, and kids groups could be scheduled during these times as much as possible.

• Tall hedges or a privacy fence could be installed around the garden to provide a visual barrier.

• Goodwill landscaping services could be offered to our neighbors, to provide plantings which would screen their properties.

• The Village Code Officer has recommended that we build swales or mounds on the low side of the property to divert any surface run-off away from the neighbors and into the storm drainage system of the town. He is willing to work with us to design a swale system when we are ready to mark out the boundaries of the garden.

These are a few basic ways we can develop a garden which is considerate of nearby residents. We look forward to building positive relationships with our neighbors, and invite all who are interested to help us develop a garden that serves the best interests of everyone.