Some longtime residents of the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul hope to turn a 13-acre vacant lot into a garden and urban farm.
They're envisioning recreational spaces, nature trails, vegetable gardens, picnic areas, and more on the sloping piece of land that has long served as a sledding hill for community members.
Patricia Ohmans, a longtime Frogtown resident, says the idea came up a couple of years ago, informally, in a conversation among neighbors about improving the area.
She says that city and U.S. Census data reveals that Frogtown is the neighborhood with the least amount of green space in the city.
Considering that green space is "one of the social determinants of health," she says, "Our neighborhood has been given short shrift."
They're hoping to collaborate with the
Wilder Foundation to acquire the property, which the longstanding nonprofit health and human services organization owns.
Wilder has been forced to sell off some of its property in the economic downturn, she explains.
Recently the garden advocates drafted a 43-page plan of action, outlining their next steps to make their dream a reality.
"We're imploring the foundation to hold off on putting this parcel on the market," she says. "We're asking if it would consider a collaboration with neighbors for a funding package that would benefit the foundation and community."
The idea has garnered plenty of public support, with nearly 200 people showing up for a December community meeting on the topic, according to Ohmans. They've also collected a number of letters of support from elected officials.
"We think there's a higher good to be served and we think," she says. "It's a very respected old institution in St. Paul and it has done a lot of good over the years. Their slogan is 'Here for Good,' and we hope they mean it."
Source: Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Gardens activist
Writer: Anna Pratt