Q&A
Council Member Sandy Nurse questions timeline for urban agriculture site criteria
1:48:36
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161 sec
Council Member Sandy Nurse inquires about the timeline for developing criteria to identify and expand urban agriculture sites beyond those already active. Qiana Mickie from the Mayor's Office of Urban Agriculture responds, discussing their goals and approach to the project.
- The office is working towards a goal of January 2026 for overall reports and work.
- Criteria development is expected to continue through 2025, with potential completion in Q2 or Q3.
- The office has pivoted to a borough-based strategy for a more strategic approach to supporting districts and boroughs.
Sandy Nurse
1:48:36
Just one, to the point question was, I understand you're developing the criteria.
1:48:41
Do you have an internal planning timeline for when you wanna have that in place?
Qiana Mickie
1:48:47
We're working with the timeline on right now, we're moving towards the goal of January 2026.
Sandy Nurse
1:48:52
January 2026.
1:48:54
And that that's when the criteria for identifying what is a site
Qiana Mickie
1:48:59
Oh, sorry.
1:49:00
No.
1:49:00
Was that the criterion itself?
Sandy Nurse
1:49:02
Yeah.
1:49:03
The because the the issue the issue that you keep referring to is that you don't have the criteria of what besides what is already an active urban agriculture space, you don't have the criteria to help expand beyond that.
1:49:16
And so you're getting people and and trying to build that out.
1:49:19
So do you have an internal planning timeline about when that would be developed?
Qiana Mickie
1:49:24
So, you know, keeping with our overarching goal of January, 2026 for, our overall reports and work in terms of the criteria in particular, we foresee continuing work on that in, 2025.
1:49:38
So by the end of the year?
1:49:40
Yeah.
1:49:41
Quarter 2, quarter 3.
1:49:42
But Okay.
1:49:43
I will continue to follow-up if there's any, changes or updates to that.
Sandy Nurse
1:49:48
And in terms of that, just as as to be more focused on the legislation at hand and thank you, council member Gutierrez, for what you mentioned because planning is so important, we don't really do it.
1:49:59
And the admin always says, no.
1:50:00
They don't want us to do any bills.
1:50:03
The you are specifically engaging with EDC on its inventory?
Qiana Mickie
1:50:09
We have, engaged with them in the past, and I would we're open to continuing engagement on related urban ag, projects.
1:50:18
Okay.
1:50:18
And can, you know, encourage any support to continue to move forward.
Sandy Nurse
1:50:23
K.
1:50:23
And I think I'm sorry to hold on this because I'm still I don't I don't have it in my notes.
1:50:30
It's getting clarity.
1:50:32
But on the, the EDC targeting East New York sites, you're saying that I know you said you weren't we talked about you meeting the process of this, the developing the criteria, but there's nothing there's no initial findings coming from that that work.
Qiana Mickie
1:50:51
So what we did in the past year was pivot in terms of the approach to it because we felt that there was a, a a benefit to refining and building out the criteria more, but also creating a borough based strategy.
1:51:04
So instead of just looking at what neighborhood, we can be a little bit more strategic in thinking about what the the elements are needed in order to support, our districts and boroughs in a more direct way.
Sandy Nurse
1:51:16
Okay.
1:51:17
Thank you.
