Public hearing scheduled to update 40-year-old Community Garden Rules

Hearing culminates years of community outreach and public input regarding future of this popular program

O‘AHU – As the demand for community garden space around O‘ahu continues to rise, with more and more gardeners eager to experience the joys of nurturing plant life, the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is finalizing its effort to update the 40-year-old rules governing the Honolulu Recreational Community Gardening Program (HRCGP). Culminating years of community meetings and outreach, DPR has scheduled a public hearing to receive input regarding revisions to the existing rules first established in 1975 and last revised in 1984.

An in-person and virtual public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Foster Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Classroom located within the historic 14-acre garden at 180 N. Vineyard Blvd. in Downtown Honolulu. The virtual meeting will be held via Zoom, and can be accessed using the following link: bit.ly/gardenhearing

If you are unable to attend the meeting, or wish to present additional comments, written testimony will be accepted no later than one week after the public hearing on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. Please mail that testimony to:

Department of Parks and Recreation

Executive Services Division

1000 Uluʻōhiʻa Street, Suite 309

Kapolei, Hawaiʻi 96707

A hard copy of the proposed rules and existing rules can also be accessed at the above address during regular business hours, with copies available for purchase. However, we encourage everyone to view the current rules and proposed rules free of charge on the HRCGP’s website: https://bit.ly/hrcgp-rule-revision

Within that website you will also find additional materials explaining the proposed rule changes, along with recordings of the prior community outreach efforts. Included in those materials is a Frequently Asked Questions document providing answers and explanations to ten of the most common questions received during the extensive community engagement process. This process began in 2021, and included coordinating with existing gardeners, new HRCGP staffing/funding, public surveying, and continued discussions throughout.

While the existing 1984 rules continue to serve as a foundation for the proposed rules, there are significant updates designed to address the evolving needs of our growing and changing community. By prioritizing safety, fairness, ecological sustainability, and transparency, these updates aim to ensure that the program remains accessible, enjoyable, and beneficial for all participants well into the future. The main intent of the rule revisions is to:

• Enhance safety through: plot visibility requirements, no roofing, tree & fence height limits, border height limits, no cactuses in common areas, no hazardous plants near plot border, no changing surface run-off patterns, certain structures not allowed, and no hazardous materials (bird spikes, barbed wire, etc.).
• Increase fairness and ease turnover of plots with: trees/woody plants in pots, no inheriting plots, City staff oversight of the application process, clearer list of violations, detailed revocation & appeal process, and requirements for new gardeners to begin plot work within 14 days.
• Reduce the burden on volunteers through: City waitlist and application process oversight, annually updated contact information provided to the plot officer for each gardener, community gardens determining meeting & cleanup requirement within certain parameters, and modernizing systems by allowing email use, virtual meetings, digital payment, etc.
• Promote ecologically sound practices, including: no herbicides/pesticides/fungicides or soil amendments without prior approval, water conservation measures, invasive species measures, and ban of certain materials in plots, such as Styrofoam.
• Improved clarity & transparency of processes & procedures with: a clearly identified penalty process for violation of rules, fees & dues structured on a fixed schedule, roles and responsibilities of gardeners/garden officers/temporary helpers, and detailed procedures for meetings, elections, and how information is communicated.

The demand for more community gardens existed well-before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the growing push for food security and desire for outdoor activities throughout our island community significantly increased following the global health event. Currently there are over 300 gardeners on the waitlist vying for one of the approximately 1,238 garden plots within the 11 existing garden sites. Many of these expected gardeners have been waiting up to three years to participate in the City’s community gardening program.

Mahalo to all of the community gardeners and members of the public who have already participated in these outreach efforts. Your time and energy are greatly appreciated!

—PAU—

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YouTube: bit.ly/DPRyoutube    Twitter: @honolulu_parks   Instagram: @honolulu_parks

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Website: honolulu.gov/parks