Vacant lots into garden plots: Find out how Sacramento is helping create urban farms
Sacramento (Aug. 23, 2022) Owners of vacant or blighted parcels can turn their lots into agricultural land and receive a tax break through the City’s Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone program (UAIZ).
“The purpose of the program is to promote urban agriculture,” said Greg Sandlund, the City’s planning director. “It is a great opportunity to make use of vacant parcels and utilize them in a way to benefit neighborhoods.”
The UAIZ program provides eligible property owners of vacant, unimproved, or blighted property the option of entering into a voluntary contractual agreement with the City to keep the property in active agricultural use for a period of five years in exchange for a reduction in property taxes.
The City is hosting an online informational session for the program at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25. This webinar will cover the details of the application process and provide an opportunity for community members to have their questions answered.
“Urban farms and community gardens are a critical piece of our food access ecosystem and this program is an opportunity to address one of the biggest barriers for small gardens and urban farms, access to land,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Those interested in learning more can register for the upcoming webinar on the City’s website.
The application period for the UAIZ program will open in the fall.
To sign up for email updates on the UAIZ program and determine if your property is eligible, please visit the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone web page.
