[Community_garden] Unusual Funding Needs for a Community Garden

[Jack Hale]

This may be a job for Trust for Public Land.  They are pretty good at
capturing land for public use while helping owners with difficult tax
situations. TPL has an office in LA.  Contact info is 

Los Angeles River Center
570 West Avenue 26, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 223-0441
FAX (323) 223-2978 
matthew.loranger at tpl.org

Jack N. Hale
Executive Director
Knox Parks Foundation
75 Laurel Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860/951-7694

-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org] On Behalf Of
Amy DeShon
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 9:58 AM
To: Julie Burleigh; community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Unusual Funding Needs for a Community
Garden

Assuming you need to act fast, then these are questions you should be
able to answer (and in this order):

1. Who else wants the garden in your neighborhood? Get their names,
addresses, signatures on a petition.
2. Do you have a neighborhood association? Do they support you? Does the
Neigh Assoc belong to a city-wide association? Would those other
organizations support you?
2. Who are your other resources? What does the City Parks & Recs and
Comm Development Departments think of your idea? Do you have any
commissioners who would support you on this? What about other
environmental groups? Would they support you? List their names.
3. What about the local Foundation? Would they entertain an application?
Mostly they support non-profits. So under what organization would you
apply for funding? This is true of corporations too. Find a non-profit
who wants to do this project and have them apply for the funds under
their 501(c)3 status.
4. Do you know someone who had the resources to pay the tax bill (deep
pockets) and keep the land out of "use" until you have your ducks in
order?
What agreement would they need that you could pay them back?

Hum... other suggestions???

-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org]On Behalf Of
Julie Burleigh
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 10:21 PM
To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: [Community_garden] Unusual Funding Needs for a Community Garden


Dear Community Garden List Members,

My name is Julie Burleigh, and I live in South Central Los Angeles in a
neighborhood called West Adams. I would like to start a Community Garden
on my block, in a vacant lot. A Community Garden would provide a much
needed improvement to our multi-ethnic, low-income neighborhood,
reducing crime, and improving the quality of life for many adolescents,
children, adults and seniors in our community. I have met with the LA
Community Garden Council, and the LA Neighborhood Land Trust. They have
been encouraging, but I need more help.

The vacant lot I am interested in is owned by a woman who has a long
history of problems with the neighborhood, and the city. The lot has a
history of gang use, abatement problems, and a fire about 15 years ago.
Because of $80,000 in back taxes owed by the owner, it is scheduled for
a Section 8 auction in August. There have been multiple liens, multiple
fraudulent bankruptcies, and multiple social security numbers associated
with the owner of this property. I have approached the owner about
buying the land (for $80K -- what is owed in back
taxes) -- she said that she would just file bankruptcy again so that she
could get out of the section 8 auction, and have another year to hold on
to the property. This owner has gotten out of several previous tax sales
over many years by filing for bankruptcy just before the sale, then
canceling the filing immediately after the sale date, thus giving
herself a potentially infinite number of bankruptcies to use. This has
been a nuisance property, and the owner has used dangerous and illegal
practices to get around paying taxes and caring for her properties (last
year, there was an arson fire at another of her properties, in which
firefighters were seriously injured).

Time is running out, as the tax sale is scheduled for August. Please let
me know if you have any advice about funding so that we may offer to buy
the land at the amount it is worth (probably $250K), or if anyone has
dealt with issues of this nature in acquiring the land for their garden.
I know we could lease it from her, but its such an unstable situation, I
think it would just be better if we could buy it...

Thank you very much,


Julie Burleigh
323-737-6211
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to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

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