A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-17, regarding the status and proposed next steps to advance the urban agriculture initiative

Iram Farooq Assistant City Manager for Community Development Sandra Clarke Deputy Director Chief of Administration C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Claude-Alix Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer Date: May 16, 2018 Re: Council Order 18-17 dated 2/5/18, regarding the status and proposed next steps to advance the urban agriculture initiative The Cambridge Food and Fitness Policy Council’s Urban Agriculture Task Force has been making steady, incremental progress in developing a comprehensive urban agriculture policy for the City. The task force is led by the Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) and the Community Development Department (CDD) and its current focus is on beekeeping, farming (e.g., commercial sales, non-profit program use, and soil safety), and hen-keeping. The goal of this effort is to improve residents’ access to healthy, locally-produced food and other agricultural products, allow additional opportunities for economic development and social service, promote sustainability and ecological stewardship, advance public knowledge of agricultural practices, maintain public health and safety, and mitigate potential conflicts between agricultural and other urban land uses. The task force has: • gathered input from multiple constituencies, including residents, City staff, urban farming advocates, and state regulators • researched best practices for regulating urban agriculture at the local level • informed City leaders about the value of urban agriculture and developed support • working on draft zoning recommendations • working on draft public health regulations pertaining to farming. Cambridge is following a model similar to that of other Massachusetts communities that have formal legal structures in place for allowing and regulating urban agriculture that include a combination of (1) City ordinances, including zoning, to address land use implications of urban agriculture activities; and/or (2) public health regulations to address health and safety issues. 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov Local health departments in Massachusetts, including the CPHD, have direct authority derived from state statute (M.G.L. c.111, §31) to promulgate public

health regulations, and the Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Cambridge (Commissioner of Public Health) performs this duty. Due to the different issues involved with beekeeping, urban farming and hen- keeping, we proposed addressing the adoption and implementation of local laws pertaining to regulation of each of the three proposed urban agriculture activities separately. In December 2017, the City Council ordained the beekeeping zoning amendment and the Commissioner of Public Health promulgated “A Regulation for the Keeping of Honeybees.” We are currently focusing on urban farming and will address henkeeping subsequently. Next Steps Working with other task force members, CDD is refining zoning recommendations that would allow new urban farming activities, including expanding locations for rooftop farming, hydroponic gardens, and community supported agriculture (CSA) drop-off sites. The urban farming zoning recommendations will apply to the cultivation of agricultural products for public consumption (e.g., commercial sales and non- profit/institutional program use). Accessory home gardening or community gardening for personal consumption is currently permitted in the city and will not be impacted. The recommendations will also address direct farm sales, such as farm stands, farmers markets, and community supported agriculture pickup sites. A companion to the urban farming zoning will be draft public health regulation for soil safety, which will apply to (1) produce grown for sale or donation, and (2) produce grown in gardens operated by schools or nonprofits and served to students/participants in those programs. The regulation is designed to protect growers and consumers from exposure to contaminants, such as heavy metals, common in native urban soil. The task force is engaged in discussions with other City departments, including the Inspectional Services Department, Department of Public Works, the Law Department and the Fire Department, to address potential concerns around safety, rodent control, and legal issues. These discussions will help to refine the zoning proposal and the public health soil safety regulation. The zoning proposal will be brought before the City Council for discussion and consideration this fall and the soil safety regulation will be submitted to the Commissioner of Public Health for consideration and adoption. Page 2 of 2