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community. Oversee attainment of goals set by users and make accountability <br /> recommendations. <br /> Advantage: In order to grow this type of land-use repurposing program beyond the pilot <br /> project, time and dedication will be needed to build partnerships, explore opportunities, <br /> and generate resources. St. Louis solicits creative land repurposing proposals from <br /> communities and the city helps neighborhoods compete for program funds geared toward <br /> redirecting land use in their neighborhoods.' <br /> Disadvantage:Although the coordination aspect of the full-time position was <br /> successful, even with the size and resource leveraging abilities of Chicago, outside of the <br /> land trust organization, this permanent position was not able to mobilize the partnerships <br /> and resources to make outreach a success. They reported that they couldn't find `enough <br /> sustained neighborhood interest.' <br /> After visiting with Nikki and Ben at Good Samaritan, I think it's possible that Chicago's <br /> permanent coordinator(which lasted about a year and a half)pursued the wrong target <br /> audience. Chicago's coordinator pursued neighborhood gardens only—but Nikki and <br /> Ben informed me that most successful neighborhood gardens they've observed are <br /> typically driven by one individual, who also does most of the work. Thus, many <br /> community gardens do not have the organization in place nor member accountability to <br /> sustain the program. <br /> Based on this feed-back, if Decatur pursues a permanent coordination program,consider <br /> focusing Decatur's outreach to long-established stakeholder organizations and those that <br /> address younger groups.' <br /> 2. Alternatively: Consider fostering some healthy competition among city departments by <br /> assigning a city owned parcel to each and see what great ideas the departments come up <br /> with for repurposing. Encourage the Department heads to involve their entire department <br /> in the process to build department cohesion. <br /> 3. Pursuing grant possibilities: In 2016, Chicago was awarded a$1 million USDA grant <br /> through the Natural Resources Conservation Service(MRCS), Conservation Innovation <br /> Grant (CIG)to explore ways to build successful partnerships and expand the urban <br /> agriculture system, with a focus on historically underserved communities. The goals <br /> Chicago stated were to improve the urban farming system in Chicago by assisting <br /> farmers to establish businesses; preparing and placing more land into land trusts or <br /> cooperative tenure arrangements; expanding recruitment of historically underserved <br /> individuals for training; and hiring an urban agriculture coordinator to be housed at <br /> Chicago's city offices. <br /> B. Versatility: While the pilot project's parcel grouping has been considered best utilized for <br /> the talent development projects and food access goals for which Good Samaritan will utilize <br /> the property, a great number of varying non-profit organizations may be able to partner with <br /> the city for multiple innovative land use projects. Thus, when developing a land repurposing <br /> policy or other land use regulations, consider potential versatility factors and the ability to <br /> decrease constraints for an array of future projects.' <br /> C. Accountability: In the pilot project, it is unclear about how long natural remediation will <br /> require, because the soil has not been tested. Therefore, long term goal assessment should be <br /> arranged in partnership with Good Samaritan to allow for timely follow up and setting <br />