For more than a decade, two city-owned greenhouses in Aurora largely have sat empty. A community group wants to put them to use, with plans to turn the greenhouses into spaces for urban agriculture.
A partnership between the city and Food Justice NW Aurora soon could launch an operation that supplies food-producing plant starts and perennials to residents, community groups and urban farms at affordable prices. The greenhouses also would grow culturally relevant foods for Aurora’s diverse communities, along with plants that thrive better inside — helping local farms and community organizations that need larger quantities of them.
“The greenhouse work is really about creating new jobs, increasing food production and access to fresh food in the city of Aurora, and providing additional educational opportunities,” said Caitlin Matthews, the executive director of Food Justice NW Aurora. The city has earmarked $350,000 to renovate the two large greenhouses at 151 Potomac St., which have about 7,300 square feet of combined growing space. City staff recommended the approval of Food Justice’s proposal to operate a community project, and the nonprofit group has now completed a business plan that it expects to present to the City Council early this year for approval.
If it receives the green light, the group will establish “Cultivate Aurora: A Community Greenhouse Project.” One of the structures would host educational workshops on gardening and landscaping for individuals, as well as horticulture and job-training programs.
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