free rooftop access for restaurant food garden

I have about a 2500sf rooftop on a 3 story building in Andersonville, much of which is unused. I hate to have it be wasted space and was wondering if this might be something that a restaurant or market would have any desire to use for space to do some urban growing. Is there any use/demand for this space? Thanks

Would you be willing to donate the space for a non-profit urban gardening project for kids? I would volunteer my time and somewhat limited skills to such a project. I am sure there are some other LTHers who would be willing to donate some time and materials. It would be a fun and educational LTH project, that might give some kids a sense of positive accomplishment. Maybe some local restaurants might be interested in supporting such an endeavor also. We have a great little organization here with a wide variety of skills and resources available. I would love to see us engage in something food-related and beneficial to the community. I am sure there are youth groups that would be interested in participating. I suppose liability might be an issue, but I'll bet there is no shortage of attorneys around here. Who knows, there may be some tax breaks available also. It may be too late for this year, but we can start planning for next year, or try a small fall vegetable experiment. If we can get some local restaurants interested in buying some of the output, we might be able to make the project self-supporting. The city also offers property tax breaks to buildings that install rooftop gardens.

d4v3 wrote:Would you be willing to donate the space for a non-profit urban gardening project for kids? I would volunteer my time and somewhat limited skills to such a project. I am sure there are some other LTHers who would be willing to donate some time and materials. It would be a fun and educational LTH project, that might give some kids a sense of positive accomplishment. Maybe some local restaurants might be interested in supporting such an endeavor also. We have a great little organization here with a wide variety of skills and resources available. I would love to see us engage in something food-related and beneficial to the community. I am sure there are youth groups that would be interested in participating. I suppose liability might be an issue, but I'll bet there is no shortage of attorneys around here. Who knows, there may be some tax breaks available also. It may be too late for this year, but we can start planning for next year, or try a small fall vegetable experiment. If we can get some local restaurants interested in buying some of the output, we might be able to make the project self-supporting. The city also offers property tax breaks to buildings that install rooftop gardens.

Hi,

Sorry for such a delayed response. Yes, this is the type of project I had in mind and certainly would be donating the space, not looking to make a profit or anything just that it will enhance the overall unused space. Feel free to let me know what the next steps might be or what else I could provide for the next steps. Like you said I think we are too late for 2013 but could get a head start for the spring growing season.

Roof top gardens can weigh a lot, expecially wet. Had this issue @ a restaurant I was consulting for last yr. Suggest finding out how much your roof can handle beforehand.

Jazzfood wrote:Roof top gardens can weigh a lot, expecially wet. Had this issue @ a restaurant I was consulting for last yr. Suggest finding out how much your roof can handle beforehand.

Good point. We have all heard horror stories about water beds crashing through ceilings. There must be a way to distribute the weight more evenly. Proper drainage is an important consideration also.

I'll look into it and see what I can find. I know that at the very least the entire roof was built to be structurally sound enough for decking and people standing/gathering up there.