Council approves lease to preserve South Warren community garden after weeks of negotiation

Warren City Council voted April 28 to approve a lease agreement between the city and Urban Seed designed to preserve the South Warren Community Garden and allow the neighborhood-run operation to continue.

The council’s vote followed a lengthy public-comment period in which multiple neighborhood residents described the garden’s role feeding families and building community. “Don’t take the one good thing those of us in South Warren have,” said Jeffrey Matthews, head of the South Warren Garden and a board member of Urban Seed, who told the council there had been “130 emails of support” after the mayor’s office signaled plans to change the site’s status.

Council members said the lease was the product of focused, weekend negotiations among legal counsel, council members and Urban Seed representatives. Council Secretary Mindy Moore summarized the process and told the chamber the agreement came from “focused negotiation and good-faith collaboration” that produced terms acceptable to both sides. Legal counsel told the council the lease had been carefully revised to protect community interests while using a pending community-garden ordinance as the long-term framework.

Why it matters: The garden has been used to feed neighborhood children and families and to offer community education and food access in an area residents said lacks affordable, local produce. Speakers described years of volunteer effort that produced gardens, a butterfly garden, seating and a small “food library” used by neighbors.

What the lease does: Council members described the lease as a working, short-term mechanism that will allow Urban Seed to continue operations while city staff and attorneys draft a comprehensive community-garden ordinance. Speakers and council members emphasized the lease does not immediately remove appointees or alter existing job protections; rather, it is intended to sustain the garden and provide a template for future community gardens.

Public reaction: Dozens of residents spoke in favor of the lease during audience participation. Urban Seed volunteers pledged to expand the garden’s footprint and to begin construction immediately to scale production. “We will start tripling the size of this garden and put in auto watering,” Jeffrey Matthews said at the podium.

Next steps: Council members said they will continue work on the broader community-garden ordinance and explore ways to support the garden operationally, including potential fundraising or promotional efforts. The council’s approval of the lease was recorded by roll call and carried by a majority vote.

The council adjourned the meeting after additional business and public comment.