History

Community Revitalization

• 10 years ago, 326 N. Sloan St. was an urban blight – drug selling, use, vandalism, abandoned bus, overgrown, litter ridden
• Community Members gathered man power and resources and created Sloan St Community Garden with the property owners’ permission and special support from Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital
• Home ownership/occupancy on the block doubled w/in 2 years of the garden’s formation 36.4% to 63.6%. Circa 1996
• 30 members, + families involved
• Beautification through mural by Mural Arts Program
• Informal donations of fruits and vegetables to local seniors
• Incorporated play & educational experiences for children
• Schools learned how to make their own gardens & sell produce at local markets giving children valuable business skills
• Safe, clean community gathering place that encourages care for the neighborhood
• 150 lbs of garden grown fruits and vegetables to City Harvest cupboard Caring about Sharing in 2009 season, and Ralston House in 2010
• Nearly 600 hrs of volunteer work in 2009 season
• Two founders are still members today… coaching our ranks ranging from 12-30 members each season.

Green Revitalization

Cleaner air, soil, water, and street.

• Trash removal
• Litter pick-up (less trash for the city to manage)
• Recycling of landfill bound materials from construction sites made into planters, stakes, and furniture (less trash for city to manage)
• Tree planting prevents rain water drainage runoff and pollution and cleans the air
• Soil testing and composting that monitors and removes poisonous heavy metals
• Attracts birds and encourages healthy ecosystem
  • Goldfinches, cardinals, woodpeckers,

Supporters, past & present

• Philadelphia Horticultural Society, City Green
• University City District, UC Green, Seth Budick
• Fairmount Park Commission
• Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
• Councilwoman Blackwell’s Office & Director of Zoning, Martin Cabry
• Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee
• People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation, Stephainie Wall & Paulette Adams
• Neighborhood Garden’s Association,Terry Mushovic,
• Mural Arts Program
• PECCDC identifies the garden as a key resource in the community and slates it for continued improvement and permanency
• Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital, Gary Ginsberg
• More than 200 neighborhood residents who the signed petition to preserve the garden
• Kickstarter backers

Bragging rights:

• Won or placed in PHS City Garden contest each time we’ve entered
• The garden earned one of twenty citywide “Growing Community Gardeners” grants.
• PECCDC identified the garden as a key resource in the community and slated it for continued improvement and permanency.
• 2010 West Philly Gardens Day participant & workshop presenter

Matter at hand:

• Land sold to a land developer at sheriff’s sale 2004 without proper 30 day public notice posting
• Terry Mushovic, from the Neighborhood Garden’s Association attended the sale and bid on our behalf, however the bidding went too high and Mr. Vousdoukas, a developer, bought the land
• Members, PEC, NGA & Zoning Director Martin Cabry pursuing Land Swap
• Have properties picked out through Land Trust
• Need support in writing however need to raise $ in the range of $5-$7000 for fees and possible difference in land values.
• Zoning Hearing for a single family unit on November 3^rd, 2009 was continued in promise of a land swap.
• On Wednesday, October 28^th, 2009 meeting with land developer, representatives from the PEC, Councilperson Blackwell’s office, and the NGA Land Trust. Several parcels of land were offered to land developer in exchange for the garden property, none of which he accepted.
• On Dec 21^st, 2009, Mr. Martin Cabry arranged a meeting between the land developer, Council Person Blackwell, and himself to persuade land developer to continue any zoning hearings and postpone his development of the garden land.
• On Dec 29^th, 2009, land developer agreed (at Marty Cabry and Council Person Blackwell’s behest) to postpone the zoning hearing indefinitely. On Dec 30^th, before the zoning board, it was made official.
• Early August 2011 a zoning notice was posted to put up a fence and build a three story house with off street parking.
• On August 22nd, 2011, a stake-holders meeting was held at Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center to discuss the developer’s plans and negotiate more time for the garden to move. There is an agreement between Councilwoman Blackwell’s office, Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center and Sloan St Community Garden that if the developer gives us one more year to move (till summer 2012), that we may not block his development when he builds at the deadline. Penn Presby’s legal team will be drafting the document to make the agreement legally binding. In the meantime we are raising money, and scouting for land to lease or purchase… if you have any information or leads regarding this matter please e-mail sloanstcommunitygarden@gmail.com