A Hub urban agriculture startup has landed a location for a rooftop farm in South Boston's Seaport District.
Higher Ground Farm has signed a lease to grow vegetables and fruits atop the eight-story Boston Design Center.
The 55,000-square-foot organic farm will be the second largest open-air commercial rooftop farm in the world and the first in Boston, according to John Stoddard, who co-founded Higher Ground Farm with Courtney Hennessey.
The partners are raising funds to start operations next spring, pending city approval and the weather.
"It's an awesome view," Stoddard said. "It's going to be a great place to work."
Plans call for an on-site farm stand and selling produce to restaurants and through community agriculture shares (CSAs). A partnership with an unnamed nonprofit also is in the works.
"What they do is subsidize CSAs so lower-income people can afford it, and farmers get the prices that they need," Stoddard said. "They also do distribution to corner stores. It's a nice way to reach people with our food that might not ordinarily be able to access it as easily."
Higher Ground Farm needs to raise $350,000 for Somerville's Recover Green Roofs to install a green roof system and other startup costs. It plans an online Kickstarter campaign and fund-raisers at Boston restaurants in addition to pursuing grants.
The Boston Design Center, which has showrooms catering to design professionals, sees the rooftop farm as another way to showcase original design concepts and promote sustainability, general manager Julie Rogowskis said.
"The BDC has ample roof space that we are eager to see go green," she said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be a part of this innovative plan, and we look forward to enjoying the fruits — and vegetables — of Boston's first rooftop farm."
The rooftop venture first requires a zoning variance, since the city is in the process of creating rooftop agriculture zoning guidelines, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
"We see it playing a significant role in the future of urban agriculture in Boston," spokeswoman Melina Schuler said.
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