- Published: Wednesday, April 14, 2021 08:57 AM
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham’s legislation to help turn vacant lots from problem areas into urban farms and community gardens passed the Senate Local Government Committee Tuesday.
“Many of our older communities find themselves with vacant, neglected lots in city centers and older neighborhoods,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “In many cases, the local government becomes responsible for these lots, and this plan would give them a clear path to turning them from sometimes-dangerous eyesores into farms or gardens that increase property values and engage the community.”
The legislation enables local governments to sell or lease government-owned vacant lots to non-profit groups for the purpose of urban agriculture, specifically allowing them to grant leases of up to 25 years (with 25-year renewals possible) or to sell vacant tracts of land for less than they would normally cost, providing the land continues to be used to grow food and/or sell food grown by the non-profit.