The loss of farmland to residential development is one of the critical challenges facing agriculture in California. In 2006, Greenbelt Alliance challenged the City of Oakley’s approval of the development of over 3,200 homes and commercial development on more than 800 acres of farmland of statewide importance. After prevailing twice in litigation, Greenbelt Alliance entered into a settlement with the City of Oakley and the project developers that allowed the project go forward but also created a fund to support the permanent protection of farmland in the San Francisco Bay Area. The settlement not only ensures that the project’s impacts on agricultural land are mitigated, it helps to preserve an important local food supply in close proximity to an urban area.
Keeping Agriculture Local in the San Francisco Bay Area
