Call to Action: Help Us Farm On! A request from the Waltham Fields Community Farm Board of Directors

Waltham Fields Community Farm needs your help so we can continue to Farm On and serve the community.

We continue to face unnecessary obstacles in carrying our mission and operation forward.

The City has denied our building permit to rebuild our two greenhouses deconstructed in May 2023 per order of the Mayor and the City of Waltham. WFCF was told our “permit application is not a priority.”

Our 2024 growing season depends on rebuilding these greenhouses now and without further delay.

Call to Action for TODAY: Contact the City of Waltham Mayor’s Office and City Council members.

Tell them that as a Waltham resident and voter, you want the Mayor to approve WFCF’s greenhouse building permit application without further delay and to allow the farm to operate while we engage in lease negotiations and communications.

You may be wondering how we got here.

As you know, Waltham Fields Community Farm exists to cultivate sustainable and equitable relationships between people, their food supply and the land from which it grows. Land, particularly the land at 240 Beaver Street in Waltham, is the heart of our mission. We have been stewards of this land for nearly 30 years and stewards of the community.

Over the last year, we reinforced our commitment to Farm On, which is really a commitment to the communities we serve. Farming is never easy. This year brought additional challenges as our staff, board and other volunteers relocated farming and educational operations, dismantled greenhouses, and farmed with 35% less land. We are proud that our organization found ways to carry forward our CSA, education programs, and 100% of our food access programs despite all that.

We also dedicated substantial time and energy to the Request for Proposal (RFP) and lease negotiation process with the City of Waltham for 240 Beaver Street. We are pleased to have been awarded the RFP and are still in lease discussions with the City of Waltham.

At present, we have not signed the lease agreement as it burdens the tenant (WFCF) with the financial responsibility for environmental remediation. During the purchase process with the State, the City of Waltham estimated the environmental remediation at $2.8 million and the purchase price was discounted accordingly. We are scheduling a meeting with the City of Waltham to discuss the lease further. We believe this will help us come to a lease that works for both parties.

Read the tenancy timeline and WFCF’s lease concerns, as shared with the City of Waltham

In the meantime, our 2024 growing season depends on rebuilding our two greenhouses now and without further delay. 

Call to Action: Contact the City of Waltham Mayor’s Office and City Council members TODAY.

Tell them that as a Waltham resident and voter, you want the Mayor to approve WFCF’s greenhouse building permit application without further delay and to allow the farm to operate while we engage in lease negotiations and communications.

Thank you for your continued support. Together, we will Farm On!