ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Public Works with a Request to APPROVE and to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an AGREEMENT Between the City of Peoria and FRESH COAST CAPITAL, LLC Under the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Innovation Grant for the Installation of Absorptive Landscapes.
Body
BACKGROUND: Fresh Coast Capital, LLC (Fresh Coast), with the support of City and other parties, was awarded a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant (the Grant) in the amount of $940,800 to install absorptive plant and tree-based landscapes that also generate revenue and create community engagement opportunities. These installations may include stormwater tree farms and harvestable microenterprise (agriculture and/or native floriculture) rain gardens on vacant City-owned and/or right-of-way land.
The primary goals that the City and Fresh Coast intend to achieve with the implementation of this Agreement are to establish and develop one or more pilot projects pursuant to the Grant which will provide guidelines for additional projects in the City and elsewhere. In addition, there may be additional, ancillary benefits from this Agreement such as:
* Address issues with blight and maximize the productivity of vacant and underutilized real estate;
* Generate positive economic, environmental and social improvements for Peoria by developing productive land reuse projects;
* Engage in regular dialogue with Peoria stakeholders to foster project alignment with Peoria's goals.
The proposed installations augment the City's proposed green infrastructure strategy to control combined sewer overflows. The City's Innovation Team was instrumental in our support and participation in this agreement and grant.
The local Gifts in the Moment (Gitm) Foundation will partner with Fresh Coast, leveraging Gitm's existing urban agriculture training and management program designs to create...
Click here for full text