Building a Community Garden at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park
by Marla Koss
Lap-swimmers glittering in the early morning light. The triumph of scores of little kids who’ve just learned proper breath control by blowing bubbles under water. There will be much to look forward to when the Aquatic Center at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park is built and opened to the public. And now that Alameda’s City Council and Planning Board have both put their stamps of final approval to the project, it seems the Aquatic Center can go ahead.
Now is the time to return the focus back to the other entity that was long ago planned for the same portion of JSOSP: the Community Garden. For ABG and other local advocates of helping Alamedans grow their own food, this has been a long time coming. Alameda is blessed with a year-round climate perfect for growing produce and has an increasing amount of housing without garden space. Yet at present, there are embarrassingly few community garden plots. Reminding our City Government how crucial a new community garden is, and advocating for it, must become a top priority.
Ahead of the City Council meeting that was held Tuesday July 1, 2025 Alameda County Master Gardener and longtime ABG volunteer Birgitt Evans emailed the following letter (edited for context) to Mayor Ezzy-Ashcraft and each of the City Council Members. Birgitt’s letter explains how the Community Garden is tied to the Aquatic Center, planned-for with shared parking and infrastructure:
Mayor and City Council,
In 2013 Alameda Backyard Growers (ABG), along with many other community members and the Alameda Food Bank, undertook research and work to create a community garden adjacent to the Food Bank’s Thau Way location at the west end of Jean Sweeney Open Space Park (JSOSP). A committee was formed, working with ARPD under Amy Wooldridge, field trips to Sacramento and other areas were undertaken to see what a community garden could be, research was done by two Mills College students, monthly meetings were held and a community garden, including community fruit orchard and many other amenities was designed. It designated plots reserved for low income residents and excess produce was to go to the food bank. We planned raised garden beds for gardeners in wheelchairs as well.
The Community Garden was approved by the City Council in 2018. In 2021, when it became clear that certain other parcels would not be purchased, we met with Amy Wooldridge to discuss options and a new version of the community garden was designed. Through the years city staff came to ABG, as a partner organization, to help with grant applications and to commit to teaching educational classes in the garden. Alas, none of the grant funding was received. Other locations were proposed, but all were less than ideal.
And so, when we were approached with the idea of giving up the space allocated for a Community Garden for an aquatic center in exchange for another location in JSOSP and the funding for both the water hook up and electricity (which would be included in the funds raised for the aquatic center), we agreed – in hopes that, 10 years after beginning this process, a community garden might be on the horizon.
We are happy for Alameda to see both of the projects come to fruition, but mostly just want our community garden. With global warming and increasing global instability, it is more important than ever for people to know how to grow food and to have access to land. And ABG is happy to provide education and free seeds from our Free Seed Libraries.
We see a lot of debate and discussion about parking spaces for the Aquatic Center. The Planning Board approved 67. We want to make clear that it is our understanding that those 67 spaces – as well as bike racks – would be for the use of community gardeners as well as swimmers. When I travel to a garden I have across town, I have a tool caddy that weighs 15 – 20 lbs and an 11 gallon tub trug that holds large tools, a kneeling mat, compost, mulch and weeds. And in planting and harvesting season, I also need to move transplants and produce. This is often two trips from my car. Expecting community gardeners to carry necessary tools on buses or bikes is not feasible. And it is not fair to elderly or disabled gardeners or those who need to bring young children several times a week to water.
Please keep the Community Garden in mind as you plan for the Aquatic Center. Please do not reduce the really minimal 67 parking spaces approved by the Planning Board. Thank you so much for your support.
Very truly yours,
Birgitt Evans
Free Seed Library Coordinator for
Alameda Backyard Growers
