Frequently Asked Questions

The 5.5-acre property is adjacent to the old Huff Park Elementary School on 2286 Ball Ave NE. At purchase, the parcel will be split from the old school and we will get a new mailing address. We plan to close on the property by year-end.

The 5.5 acre property includes 4 acres of land that was a former football field as well 1.5 acres of forest adjacent to a wetland south of the property. We will not disturb the forest or the wetland and our organic growing practices will ensure the surronding eco-system is protected. We also plan to locate several native plantings along the sidewalk to buffer the farm field from the walkway and to increase our postive enviormental impact.

The field is currently a favorite location for residents to feed deer that live in the wetlands and adjacent Huff Park. In order to farm the property, we will need to install an 8-foot-high deer fence around the field. We have spoken with the City of Grand Rapids about this. We will buffer the fence from the sidewalk with a native planting. This will be a major phase two expense and we will not start production on the site until this is installed.

Our first goal is to bring a majority of our production back into the city. We expect to finish our 3-year lease term at Plainsong Farm as we transition the property. Because of our thriving partnership with GVSU, we plan to continue production at our leased land at the SAP. Our goal is for two acres of the four acre field to be devoted to our social enterprise farm. We also want to develop 3 spaces for graduating NCN apprencitces to develop and trial their own market-garden so they are able to incubate their own buisnesses.

Before phase 3 can begin, we will need to work with an architect to help us design an educational center building with input from our staff, stakeholders and the City of Grand Rapids. See our current dreaming in this DRAFT site plan.