When
a parcel of State-owned land on Madison's northeast side, in use
for over a decade as community gardens, was declared for sale,
neighbors and gardeners organized. They invited two land trusts
(the Urban Open Space Foundation and the Madison Area Community
Land Trust), Design Coalition and a cohousing group to help them
work out a way to save the land.
This unique coalition of community groups and non-profit organizations
has been working for over 4 years to purchase the 35+ acres parcel
for continued use as community gardens, with generous open space
and restored prairie and trails. Eventually there may also be
University of Wisconsin-sponsored agricultural education programs.
Gardens
vs. Housing ... or BOTHIt became clear early in the planning process that some housing development on the site was likely the only way to finance the preservation of the rest of the land. However, many neighbors resisted that idea. A key factor in their eventual acceptance was the promise of cohousing. because our design featured closely clustered buildings nearby the existing houses that minimized the use of land and paving, and because of the personal involvement of the cohousers in the planning process. Although the original cohousing group is not currently involved, the plan includes about 25 to 30 units of affordable clustered housing on about 5 acres.
Design Coalition's role in site planning has been supported by the cohousing group and by the University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems.
Click for a larger image of the site
plan.
A documentary video "Ours to Decide" was made to tell some of the stories of the Troy Gardens process by Shebang Media