Extra food from El Oasis is donated to Bienvenidos Food Bank as part of DUG’s pledge to help those with low access to fresh produce. Claire Duncombe
Denver Urban Gardens plans to sell most of the land where it operates El Oasis, one of its Highland neighborhood gardens, to Caliber Construction in a $1.2 million deal set to close on December 1. But members of El Oasis, located at 1847 West 35th Avenue, are fighting the sale by raising public awareness in hopes of pressuring Caliber Construction to back out while the agreement is still under contract.
The money from the sale is intended to help DUG alleviate accumulated debt and continue to fulfill its role in offering gardens on more than 180 properties around the city, according to Ramonna Robinson, president of the nonprofit’s board. DUG informed El Oasis gardeners of the planned sale on September 9, with notices to vacate plots on the two-thirds of the land that Caliber will take over by October 5. The remaining third of the land will remain a garden in perpetuity. The gardeners, many of whom have tended El Oasis plots for years, believe that DUG has fundraising options other than selling the land, but DUG says that without the sale, the nonprofit will cease to exist.
READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.westword.com/restaurants/community-gardeners-try-to-stop-sale-of-denver-urban-gardens-property-11804554
