City Planning Proposes Newly Updated Stewardship Package for Vacant Lots and Greenways

The Stewardship Package is the result of the Department of City Planning’s extensive engagement with residents across more than 40 neighborhoods and partnerships with non-profit stakeholders and City departments to create effective stewardship programming that aligns with community visions and priorities. Key elements of the package include: 

• Updates to the Adopt-A-Lot Program 

• Establishing a new City Farms Garden Program 

• Amendments to the Removal of Natural Resources code language 

• Greenways Expansion and the creation of a new Greenways Stewardship Program 

“The expansion of the City’s stewardship programs will help make it easier for residents to do good work in vacant and underutilized spaces,” said Andrew Dash, Deputy Director of the Department of City Planning. “Through these updated programs, we hope to expand opportunities for food access, neighborhood beautification, and create community spaces for gathering and recreation.”  

First launched in 2015, the Adopt-A-Lot Program has enabled residents to transform vacant land into temporary rain, food, or flower gardens. The updated program now supports a broader range of uses beyond gardening, including public art, community signage, commercial vending, lot maintenance, and special events.  

A new City Farms Garden Program, established in partnership with CitiParks, creates more opportunities for urban agriculture in City-owned parks and greenways. The program allows for long-term access to land for urban agriculture that helps build community connections. The program will provide five-year leases, compared to Adopt-A-Lot’s one- to three-year lease terms. Applications for the City Farms Garden Program will open in summer 2026.  

The program is complemented by updates to the City’s Removal of Natural Resources code, which now formally permits urban agriculture, foraging, dead tree removal, and archaeological activity on City-owned property with approval.  

Greenways Expansion Planning entailed an analysis of 10,000 vacant parcels within the City’s inventory. To reduce climate hazard risk and improve public safety, vacant parcels with steep slopes that are prone to landslides are prioritized as candidates for permanently conserved greenways. The City has identified roughly 3,000 vacant parcels that fall within this category. This legislation includes: 

• Defining the Greenway designation 

• Creating a Greenways Stewardship Program to establish clear pathways for residents, community groups, and non-profit partners to care for greenways through stewardship activities, such as: trail building, invasive species removal, community clean-ups, tree planting, and more