Board approves 1-year special-use for community garden at 1105 N. Fourth Ave., sets parking requirement to zero

The Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 20 approved a one-year special use for a community garden at 1105 North Fourth Avenue, authorizing the Edible Park Development Collective to operate the site as a charitable garden and setting the minimum number of required parking spaces for the use at zero. The motion carried 6-0.

Board members said the temporary approval gives neighbors and staff a chance to check the site’s condition after complaints about appearance and a damaged greenhouse. Chad Frasier, who identified himself as the applicant, told the board the garden has existed for about a decade and is planted largely with perennial edible plants rather than row crops. "We give it away or we, like, introduce people in the neighborhood, largely children to the plants," Frasier said.

The nut of the issue for board members was whether the existing layout — which includes a collapsed hoop house and large areas of perennial planting rather than traditional rows — was appropriate for a residential block and whether the site would create ongoing complaints. A board member pressed the applicant to commit to cleanup before the board reviews the special use next year. "Will you clean this up?" the board member asked. Frasier replied, "Well, yeah," and said the greenhouse and weeds should be addressed by March.

Board members discussed limiting the special use to one year so the garden would return for review. Staff said the board has done similar time-limited approvals in the past and reminded members that complaints in the interim would be handled through inspections and enforcement by code staff. Cassie (Area Plan Commission staff) told the panel that if the group later sought to rely on an adjacent lot for parking, it would need either a parking agreement or a separate permit and site review.

The applicant described the garden as largely perennial plantings — strawberries, seaberry, cranberries and other edible shrubs — rather than traditional row gardening. Frasier said volunteers from the neighborhood manage planting and harvest, and that the organization had halted some work after learning it needed approval. Neighbors had complained to staff about the site’s appearance after a recent ice storm collapsed the hoop house, and the board expressly noted the photograph in the packet showed the site in winter condition.

The board voted with the following recorded votes: Miss Payne — yes; Mr. Shetler — yes; Mr. Zaner — yes; Miss Cobble — yes; Miss Kasha — yes; Mr. Petke — yes. The approval is effective for one year; the board indicated the group must return for further action if it seeks a longer-term permit or to change the approved conditions.

The board also asked staff to monitor complaints and enforcement as needed and told the applicant to expect a follow-up review at the meeting in March 2026 if they want to renew or make the use permanent.

Ending: The garden’s operators said they will address the collapsed hoop house and weeds before the board’s next review. The board’s one-year approval leaves the site on a watch list for neighborhood complaints and possible enforcement if conditions do not improve.