Pictured here are photos that document the fate of the Beach Flats Community Garden in Santa Cruz CA. The photos span from October 2015 and continue up until most recently March 24 2016.
The community garden opened in the early ‘90s when Beach Flats residents restored an abandoned lot and turned it into a social space and a source for organic food. The landowners, the Santa Cruz Seaside Company(owners of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk), leased the land to the city for $1 per year from 1993-2015, ending the lease last November.
In October, City Council said that it would vie to obtain the entire 26,000-square-foot garden after hearing from many concerned community members. As negotiations continued between the city and Seaside, the city decided to sign a three-year lease on Nov. 10 for 16,000 square feet — 60 percent of the previous garden area. Since then, there has been communication between Seaside, the city, the gardeners and Beach Flats Garden Coalition –– community members who are the spokespeople for the gardeners –– about the future of the space.
All photos were taken on assignment for City on a Hill Press.
