Urbavore farm’s fight with its KC neighbors is about a lot more than just traffic | Opinion

Dan Heryer and Brooke Salvaggio are farmers in every sense of the word. The married couple spends most of their days getting their hands dirty, literally and figuratively. They take pride in providing healthy food options for their customers through their business, Urbavore Urban Farm on Kansas City’s East Side.

By most accounts I’ve read, Urbavore seems to be a pretty sustainable and successful agricultural business. The farm sits on about 13.5 acres of land at East 55th Street and Bennington Avenue. With approval from the city, Heryer and Salvaggio have operated there since 2011.

But some neighbors that live nearby aren’t all that thrilled with the heavy traffic that the business draws.

Also on the site is Compost Collective KC, a compost operation that has nearly 3,000 customers, according to Heryer and Salvaggio. The couple owns that business, too.

If the Kansas City Council follows the recommendation of the City Plan Commission, the farm’s future could be in jeopardy. On July 3, the commission voted 3-1 to vacate the public right of way for East 55th Terrace and Fremont Avenue — which means public access to Urbavore and its compost business could be severely affected, if approved by the council.

In a city that needs healthy food options for everyone, the City Council should use its considerable influence to broker peace among one of the metropolitan area’s largest urban farms and its neighbors.

Blocking the use of this street would make it extremely difficult for Urbavore to survive, Heryer and Salvaggio told me during a recent visit to the farm.

Here’s something the City Council should consider: Instead of vacating the public right of way on 55th Terrace, the city should put traffic control measures in place along the street until Urbavore’s future development plans are ruled on by the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Otherwise the hard work and financial investment the couple has put into the farm over the last 13 years would be for naught.

Cars picking up produce bother neighbors

Urbavore uses a subscription model to serve its customers through its weekly community supported agriculture program. On any given Thursday, about 100 cars travel up a dead-end residential street on 55th Terrace near Bennington, according to public testimony given July 3.

Much to the dismay of some neighbors, these travelers come from far and wide each week to pick up organic vegetables and fruit, pasture-free eggs and other produce.

About once a month, dump trucks filled with food waste arrive on site to start the compost process that produces the nutrient-rich soil Urbavore uses to grow its crops.

Carrena Moultrie lives near Urbavore. She filed the application to block access to 55th Terrace. After multiple public hearings, the planning commission granted the request.

At the July 3 meeting, Moultrie testified virtually that she had no issues with Urbavore other than heavy commercial traffic on a residential street.

“The idea of living on a dead-end street is for that peace,” Moultrie said. “The idea of living on a dead-end street is the non-traffic.”

Later, she said: “How is all of that traffic … good for the community?”

After multiple complaints were made to city officials, Urbavore was cited last summer for four code violations, including improper storage containers on site, a violation related to its composting operation, and prohibited retail sales, according to online records maintained by Kansas City.

Earlier this year, Heryer and Salvaggio appealed those citations. A hearing was scheduled Wednesday before the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment to possibly resolve that situation, which is separate from the right-of-way ruling.

Master plan includes new paved road

As part of a master plan development under consideration at City Hall, the couple has a vision for the future of the farm that includes adding a paved road to provide another access point to the property. Urbavore wants to work with the city to appease some of its neighbors’ concerns.

But adding another access point to the farm is a long-range project with an estimated six-figure price tag, according to Heryer.

“It would cost us $250,000,” Heryer said.

To their credit, the owners have tried to meet their neighbors halfway by offering alternative pick-up times and locations and carpooling options for their subscribers, according to Salvaggio.

The City Council must take these efforts and more into consideration and postpone or reject the recommendation to shut down 55th Terrace.

‘Obviously a very emotional project’

After sitting through about one hour of public testimony on this issue — several people spoke passionately for and against Urbavore — a reasonable compromise seems possible here.

Coby Crowl is a member of the City Plan Commission. He cast the lone vote against the city blocking off the street. Crowl’s outlook on the matter is similar to the one I have: The focus must remain on the land use and access to the property while also protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Both could and should be done.

“This is obviously a very emotional project because it is affecting neighborhoods and the urban farm,” Crowl said. “This is obviously a very challenging thing. I really don’t like that a neighborhood street is being used as an entryway and an entrance into to a commercial type of property. The streets aren’t designed for that and the neighborhood isn’t designed for that and shouldn’t be used for that.

“But the problem I have with this is this little roadway is access to a parcel which provides that connectivity to something else. I like this project and I really want to help move it forward. Even though I don’t like everything, I don’t like that we would abandon that to take out access to that property.”

I understand most of the pressing concerns neighbors have about the heavy traffic flow on their residential street. They live there every day. I don’t. The quality of life of residents on 55th Terrace and surrounding areas cannot be ignored. In this very public fight between Heryer and Salvaggio and their neighbors, there are no clear winners.

But local governments exist for situations like these. Until Urbavore has an opportunity to address these traffic issues, the City Council must delay vacating this street.