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#MiddletownCT residents rally to save 25-year-old #CommunityGarden from becoming a development

Story by Cassandra Day, March 12, 2025

"About two dozen people are encouraging the city to purchase the North End Ferry Street community garden as an alternative to the property owner selling it for development.

The garden, first established in 1999, has not only been a place for people to learn to grow and maintain a plot, but offers educational opportunities for residents, including youth.

"A number of people spoke out during a recent Economic Development Committee meeting about its vital importance to this 'underserved' area of Middletown. Fifteen people emailed the city on the matter, all signing their names to the same letter appealing to the committee.

"The #FerryStreetGarden has 'undergone several periods of disinvestment in the last few years,' the letter said, and now faces the 'ultimate threat of impending development.'

"The Chrysalis Center Real Estate Corp., which owns the land, has received offers from entities to purchase the plot, but nothing in writing, according to CEO Sharon Castelli.

"She is willing to negotiate a price with the city so residents can use the property, Castelli added.

"'We are very community-minded and have housing in the area, so having a place for people to grow vegetables would be a great use,' she said.

"The city would need about $50,000 to buy the land, the letter said, and there is an opportunity to apply for a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Urban Green and Community Garden grant for the project.

"Wesleyan University student Rowan Roudebush, who created a short video about the garden, has maintained a plot there for about a year.

"'Kids have been learning to grow food and have been building community through that garden for decades,' said Roudebush, who spoke about the North End being considered a '#FoodDesert.'"

"'It's in an area where, if you don't have access to a car, it's near impossible to get affordable groceries,' they added."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/middletown-residents-rally-to-save-25-year-old-community-garden-from-becoming-a-development/ar-AA1AUgaf
#CommunityGardens #Development #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #Connecticut