Community organizers urge Redlands to back Sylvan Park community garden and arts residency

Speakers at Tuesday’s Redlands City Council meeting urged the council to back a proposed intergenerational community garden and artist‑in‑residency at Sylvan Park, describing existing grant awards, institutional partnerships and a plan to make the site accessible to people with disabilities.

The request matters because speakers said the project would repurpose two boarded buildings at Sylvan Park, link the site to the University of Redlands and the train station, and use state grant money and local partnerships to support programming. Organizers said investment from the city to cover required Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades would allow the group to use already‑awarded planning and implementation grants.

Brian Ball, introduced himself as a business owner and member of the Cultural Arts Commission, and said the community garden would be a visible, walkable space at the city’s North Side that thousands could enjoy. “I think it could be rolled out in different stages. It doesn’t have to be an immediate, finished product,” Ball said.

Danielle Jadisi Wallace, an adjunct professor at the University of Redlands Johnson Center and an artist, said the project – which she described as the Redlands Eco Arts community home and part of a REACH program – would combine gardening, arts programming and environmental education. “Our mission is to cultivate community through accessible arts and environmental action, sustainable practices, and shared creative spaces,” Wallace said, and told the council the group has applied for state implementation grants that can be “up to $150,000.”

Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez, executive director of Arts Connection (the Arts Council of San Bernardino County), emphasized the economic case and said there is “seed funding” from the state for the Sylvan Park project totaling about $200,000 that is waiting to be leveraged. “The City of Redlands nonprofit arts and culture sector produces a total of $14.2 million in economic output,” he said, and urged the council to partner with local arts organizations.

Other speakers — including Brenda Spoelstra, Vanessa Gohman (director of Artland), Doris Dalgun and several nearby residents — described the park’s proximity to neighborhoods and schools, the site’s visibility from University Avenue and the train station, and argued that a community garden would provide low‑cost programming and safer activities for youth. Several speakers urged the city to help identify ways to match grant funds for required ADA work on the buildings.

City staff did not announce any formal commitment at the meeting. Council members did not vote on a motion to allocate funds; the item remained a public comment and community request for council consideration. Council members and staff noted the project team has been working with city staff on planning and that the group holds a planning grant; details of any future staff report, required permits or a formal city funding request were not specified on the record.

Organizers named multiple local partners in the record, including the University of Redlands, Redlands Conservancy, the Inlandia Institute and Artland; they also referenced a planning grant already awarded and the possibility of an implementation grant. Speakers emphasized accessibility: several asked the city to consider matching funds for ADA upgrades so the site would be universally accessible.

The council did not take action at the meeting. Organizers said they would continue to work with staff and pursue the state grants they have applied for.

For now, the proposal remains a community‑led plan seeking city support and coordination, with speakers asking the council to consider the project when staff return with any required permit or funding requests.