It’s gardening season in the northern hemisphere. In Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Mosaic Community Land Trust is hosting community garden plots on four lots in the city.
Here are a few features of Mosaic’s gardening program:
- Some of the garden plots are raised, making it easier for people with mobility issues to participate.
- Gardeners experiment with growing items they could never buy in the grocery store, as well as growing fresh food to eat.
- Land trust members can also access local produce through a Community Supported Agriculture program1.
- Gardeners meet with others who share their interests.
The gardening compliments the Mosaic’s other goals, which include housing, arts and culture. Gardening, arts and culture are proceeding relatively quickly, compared with developing and repairing housing. Nevertheless the intention is to provide affordable ownership opportunities to Pottstown residents with low incomes.
So far, two homes have been refurbished on Mosaic’s land. Mosaic owns the land2. Individuals own the home they occupy. Taking the cost of land out of the purchase price makes the initial home price more affordable. And when/should the homeowner sell their home in the future, the resale price is set by Mosaic’s by-laws.
You can read more about the 2024 gardening plans in Reading Eagle: Mosaic Community Land Trust helps Pottstown sow community one garden at a time
For more about the programs offered by Mosaic Community Land Trust, read: About Mosaic Community Land Trust
Footnotes
- Read about Community Supported Agriculture in the US in resilience: The Radical Roots of Community Supported Agriculture
- For more on Community Land Trusts, try: Land Trusts – What Are They? What Do They Mean For Affordable Housing?
