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Orchard Church asks Carbondale commission to help relocate community garden ahead of planned housing
Summary
Daniel Self of the Orchard Church asked the Carbondale Parks & Recreation Commission to help find a permanent home for a 27-plot community garden displaced by proposed affordable housing, offering the church's support in moving gardeners and preserving soil and infrastructure.
Daniel Self, a representative of the Orchard Church, told the Parks & Recreation Commission during public comment that the church is exploring affordable housing on its property and wants to work with the town to find a permanent site for a community garden that would be displaced by development. “We want to do everything we can to find them a home,” Self said, noting the garden has significant infrastructure and long-term investment by gardeners.
Self said the garden currently includes 27 family plots and uses ditch irrigation; he estimated the original fencing installed years ago cost roughly $30,000. Commissioners asked for specifics about size and irrigation, and staff and members discussed possible relocation parcels — including space behind the Third Street Center, areas near the Rec Center and land around the Thompson House and Bonnie Fisher properties — citing tradeoffs such as shade, water access and impacts on nearby businesses.
Eric Brenlinger, the town parks staff member who worked with commissioners on site planning, said the commission will put the garden relocation on the radar and incorporate it into upcoming planning and site tours. Commissioners recommended the issue be revisited at a July or August agenda after a June parks tour to allow staff time to evaluate options and to include the garden in master-plan conversations tied to the 2027 planning process.
The Orchard Church offered to help gardeners relocate (including physical help and possibly covering fees) and proposed aiming for a relocation plan in time for the 2027 growing season; Self said he and church volunteers want to “be a part of the solution” rather than leave gardeners without plots. The commission suggested staff follow up, review parcel covenants and return with options and timelines at future meetings.
