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Aurora is working to find a way for agriculture and urban living to be compatible again. When our zoning laws were written and the zones and their assigned uses were developed, it was decided that agricultural activities had no place in the urban area and they were banned entirely. If one looks at the way normal rural farms conduct their business, it is clear why this assumption was made. Consolidated feedlots and large machinery have no place in a congested city street, but is that really all that agriculture means?
Thomas Jefferson had a different idea when he looked to America’s future. He saw a large class of yeoman farmers who were self reliant and industrious. This attitude was to be the backbone of a nation, and, while the vision of a country of farmers has not endured the self-reliance and independent nature has. This attitude has served us well throughout our history and the best example for our current discussion has to be the Victory Gardens of the World War I and II eras. They were gardens established in private yards and public parks in cities all across this land.
They were planted to ease the pressure on the food supply during the wars, but they were also a morale booster. It gave people an opportunity to contribute to the cause and reap the rewards of their labor at the same time. We as a people need to be a contributing part of society, and one of the basic parts of our society is to provide food. What better way to give than to give food? What better way to feel productive than to produce life-giving food?
This brings us back to our current discussion, by removing the possibility of agricultural activity in our urban areas, regardless of the situation, we have taken away the ability of many to contribute in the most basic way. Large cities across the country have identified this problem and have already taken steps to correct the problem. They have established urban agriculture zones in certain parts of town that are currently under utilized and in need of redevelopment. Chicago, New York and Detroit have all established urban agriculture zones, and Kansas City is seen as one of the cities on the forefront of this movement, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has taken the step of allowing livestock in certain circumstances. Locally, Springfield has moved to allow chickens with certain restrictions. This is not a new idea, and this is our proposal:
Aurora is working to find a way for agriculture and urban living to be compatible again. When our zoning laws were written and the zones and their assigned uses were developed, it was decided that agricultural activities had no place in the urban area and they were banned entirely. If one looks at the way normal rural farms conduct their business, it is clear why this assumption was made. Consolidated feedlots and large machinery have no place in a congested city street, but is that really all that agriculture means?
Thomas Jefferson had a different idea when he looked to America’s future. He saw a large class of yeoman farmers who were self reliant and industrious. This attitude was to be the backbone of a nation, and, while the vision of a country of farmers has not endured the self-reliance and independent nature has. This attitude has served us well throughout our history and the best example for our current discussion has to be the Victory Gardens of the World War I and II eras. They were gardens established in private yards and public parks in cities all across this land.
They were planted to ease the pressure on the food supply during the wars, but they were also a morale booster. It gave people an opportunity to contribute to the cause and reap the rewards of their labor at the same time. We as a people need to be a contributing part of society, and one of the basic parts of our society is to provide food. What better way to give than to give food? What better way to feel productive than to produce life-giving food?
This brings us back to our current discussion, by removing the possibility of agricultural activity in our urban areas, regardless of the situation, we have taken away the ability of many to contribute in the most basic way. Large cities across the country have identified this problem and have already taken steps to correct the problem. They have established urban agriculture zones in certain parts of town that are currently under utilized and in need of redevelopment. Chicago, New York and Detroit have all established urban agriculture zones, and Kansas City is seen as one of the cities on the forefront of this movement, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has taken the step of allowing livestock in certain circumstances. Locally, Springfield has moved to allow chickens with certain restrictions. This is not a new idea, and this is our proposal:
District RA (agricultural):
(a) Use regulations. In district RA, no building or land shall be used and no building shall be erected, altered or enlarged, which is arranged, intended or designed for other than one of the following uses, except as otherwise provided
(1) Any use permitted in district R-1; provided, further, that the restrictions for district R-1 apply also to their locations in district RA.
(2) Agricultural uses, including horticulture, nurseries, orchards, aviaries, apiaries, livestock and field crops.
(3) Homes devoted to raising livestock, hatching, raising and marketing of chickens, turkeys or other poultry, fowl, rabbits, fur-bearing animals, fish or frogs, on a tract, lot or parcel will not exceed a stocking rate beyond 1000 lbs/acre for one or combination of more than one type of livestock.
(4) Killing, butchering or dressing of livestock, fowl, fish or other animals raised on the premises, provided that such killing, butchering or dressing is done in an accessory building, which building shall be located not less than 200 feet from any property line.
(5) All males of any species allowed outside and being of breeding age shall be neutered.
What we are proposing is to establish a Rural Agriculture Zone north of the railroad tracks in the areas currently zoned as either R-2 or R-3 with the restrictions listed above in the sample ordinance. The entire proposal is open for discussion, but we especially need input on the levels of livestock allowance. It is our hope this will allow those who wish to consolidate some of the under-utilized lots in the area and develop productive truck farms and also allow those that have adequate sized parcels to raise an appropriate amount of livestock. We could even consider RA-1 that allows livestock and RA-2 that only allows truck gardens. We want to give our citizens as much freedom to use their resources as possible, so we need your input. Together we can reach an agreement that protects individual rights and clarifies the individual responsibilities. If we do this right, I think we will have what historians will call Recovery Gardens, and this time I hope the practice will stick.
