Home and Garden

by Alex Dubilet

The Victory Garden at 44th and Ludlow streets is a community garden the size of four row homes. It's been there for a decade, and for the past five years, four neighborhood women have grown everything from strawberries and tomatoes to herbs and kale. They may not be able to do so much longer.

Their garden is not being endangered by a ruthless developer or an impersonal bureaucracy.

Rather, Kevin Wright, who owns one of the four plots on which the garden is situated, has plans to build a home that could provide comfortable living space for his disabled elderly mother and himself. He sees no reason why he should not go ahead with his project. After all, he says, it's his land.

The gardeners first heard of Wright's intentions when bright orange zoning signs were posted on the garden's fence to advertise a Zoning Board of Adjustments hearing on the matter last week. Saying they were caught off-guard, they launched a petition drive that garnered more than 100 signatures in three days.

"It's a special place that's kind of rare. We have a lot of abandoned houses on this block but we only have one garden," said Mandy Katz, who was one of about 10 people who showed up at the zoning meeting in support of the garden. "We would love to have Mrs. Wright as a neighbor, but we just don't want to lose our garden."

The gardeners understand that one of the four plots on which the garden stands legally belongs to Wright, and it is unclear if they have any official recourse to preserve the green space in its current condition. The board continued the hearing until the parties could work with community groups and district Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's office.

"But what about the blood, sweat and tears that have been put into the garden?" said Sheryl Walters, looking up from working on her herbs one recent day. "It's a lot of work and it's not something you are going to forget after someone takes two hours to plow it all up."

The gardeners say Wright has exhibited a cavalier attitude to the fate of the rest of the garden. According to Walters, Wright would not alleviate her concerns over the possible destruction of the other three garden plots during the construction process. Visibly angry, Wright voiced his opinion on the situation during the zoning board meeting.

"What really annoys me is that I let them use the lot," he said, "and they tell me I can't use the lot for my family."

Next, the two parties are slated to meet with the Spruce Hill Community Association in an attempt to forge a compromise. From there, they could return to the Zoning Board for another hearing.