In 2009 we heard from a fellow gardener that our P-Patch at University Heights was scheduled for redevelopment, in a project that might shrink or significantly redesign our garden. Anxious rumors started to fly: the P-Patch was going to be removed! Or cut in half! Or converted into more space for the University District Farmers’ Market— or would it be moved to the shady north side of the building? No one in the garden seemed to know precisely what was happening, but most of us were scared of it.

Geoff Berg, a U-Heights P-Patch gardener since the mid-1990s, saw opportunities rather than threats in the redevelopment. Talking to Berg also gave us some important context for the project. The U-Heights P-Patch opened in 1991 on the site of the former University Heights School, operated since 1990 by the nonprofit University Heights Center for the Community Association (UHCCA). In 2009, the UHCCA purchased the majority of the property from the Seattle School District, with the intent to preserve and enhance the historic building. The remainder of the property was transferred to the Parks Department to build new public open space.

After the purchase of the property, Berg volunteered to serve on the Board of Directors of the UHCCA. “When the State of Washington and the City of Seattle worked together to grant money to [UHCCA] to buy the land, the understanding was that some percent of the space would be used for community purposes, and the P-Patch fulfills that requirement.... [As a result], there’s an opportunity now to do a real solid design for the whole P-Patch space,” said Berg.

The UHCCA operates the Center as a town hall and gathering place for the University District, housing a variety of organizations that focus primarily on education and community development. Dorothy Lengyel, Executive Director of the UHCCA, is a gardener herself. She describes the vision for the restored U-Heights as “a fully preserved property with a public park, community garden, native landscape and education programs for all ages.”

Realizing the Vision

Turning a vision into reality is hard work: it means navigating a complex planning process and staying engaged over the course of several years.

Planning began in 2009 with an initial round of public meetings. Later, the Parks Department hired HBB Landscape Architects to lead the planning and design, and held additional open forums in June and July of 2011. “It was critical to have P-Patchers at these meetings,” Berg says, and the feedback that gardeners have given throughout the process has influenced the direction of the design. Ray Schutte, Board President of the P-Patch Trust, agrees; when the Trust met with the previous Executive Director in early 2010, several of the design options on the table would have significantly restricted space for the U-Heights P-Patch. Thanks in part to gardeners speaking out, the current draft design preserves an amount of space similar to the current garden, though organized differently.

Although the public comment period is over, the planning continues. In late August, Geoff Berg held a U-Heights P-Patch meeting to brainstorm a new layout for the P-Patch area, including compost bins, sheds and fencing. One remaining challenge is that there are currently no funds allocated for construction; Berg and the UHCCA plan to work together on a Department of Neighborhoods matching grant to support the redesign.

Lessons for Other Gardeners

We asked Ray Schutte what gardeners should remember if they feel like their garden is under threat: “Community. Your garden community has strength.” That’s a critical point: when you’re scared of losing the garden you’ve put so much time into, it’s easy to forget that the P-Patch Program was built from the start around the idea of community. Reach out to the folks around you, and pretty soon you’ll start seeing new opportunities, just as Berg and the rest of U-Heights have.

If your P-Patch ever faces a similar situation, start by breathing deeply: don’t panic, and remember you have resources that can help you. Then reach out to your community—and to the P-Patch Trust itself. Schutte suggests that gardeners contact the Trust as early as possible, build a plan together, and keep the Trust informed throughout the lifetime of a project. Berg says: “Ray is a great resource, because he’s been involved with so many of the P-Patches around the city.” Whatever the situation, the Trust is likely to have experience to draw on to help you understand a process that’s likely to be confusing at first. Once the process is underway, the Trust can also mobilize plenty of motivated supporters to speak on behalf of your garden.

Every P-Patch in Seattle goes through a lengthy process and public engagement in the beginning. The work of building community doesn’t stop once construction is done, though—and neither does the opportunity!