Fighting the Good Fight

Dear Friends of Eden's,

I sent out the following email to supporters on my Pioneer Grove mailing list, and to my CSA members last night. 

Dear Friends of Eden's,

 I want to thank each of you who stood beside me and supported the vision for Pioneer Grove. Your encouragement, contributions, and your belief in creating something lasting and good for our community means the world to me during this incredibly difficult situation.

 Despite the best efforts of a professional development team — including urban planners, engineers, architects, and marketing specialists — who presented an application for rezoning that met every requirement, as you know, the Balch Springs City Council voted against our request - at a meeting held without formally notifying us, the applicant.

 This was a project designed to bring much-needed City revenue, affordable single family starter housing, new small business opportunities, and preserve much of the green space and the farming tradition our neighbors have come to enjoy. Yet the Council, providing no tenable or legitimate justification, chose to block it.

 As the old saying goes: you really can’t fight City Hall - and win.

Many of you also know I pursued legal counsel after learning of the vote. My attorney, initially quite optimistic at our chances, (because the logic of the circumstances certainly spoke to our favor), in an effort to gain the best winning strategy, consulted with other lawyers more specialized in municipal and zoning law. The consensus was sobering: even though the Council clearly appeared to have acted in bad faith, never even formally notifying us of the last two meetings nor the outcome - It was suggested that the courts would be unlikely to intervene on our behalf.

 At best, a judge might be convinced to order a “do-over”. And that would likely only put us back before the same hostile council that sabotaged this project in the first place. Or, more likely, the case would be dragged out over several years - and many more thousands of dollars, with the City still likely to prevail. I cannot justify spending

other people's funds, in endless, costly battles against insincere bullies with political immunity, expecting a different outcome. I have, therefore directed my attorney to discontinue pursuing the case at this time.

 I’ll use the remaining funds to cover the cost of appealing the steeply rising property taxes recently levied on the farm. Commercially zoned property is not afforded the same exemptions and considerations as regular residential, and valuing old, aging barns at the unrealistic rates they have, is making the taxes ridiculous. This is an agricultural operation that doesn't even operate a commercial business out of those structures. So, the same attorney said he will work on getting the taxes adjusted more fairly. And thank you to those who have graciously instructed me to use your contributed funds "as needed". I assure you, they'll go to improve things while we're still here.

 Real Food, Grown with Integrity

While the property remains on the market for sale, the ground that has fed so many for nearly 20 years, can continue to do so until such time it sells and we are required to vacate. Not to create false hope, but once a hostile council majority is no longer in place, if the property has not received a viable offer, we could potentially look into the feasibility of re-applying - if my team is still up for it at that time.

 Working to extend the farming opportunity to other farmers was always part of the project's plan. To the extent that I can, I'll continue to work to make that happen. Farming skills transfer to wherever they're applied.

 So, as I am able, and for the foreseeable future, I will continue to grow food for Eden's CSA members, (yes, we can take on a few more members for the upcoming fall and winter season). Now with the help of other growers here regularly, this should be less strenuous on me physically. We do hope, also, to open Eden's farm stand in the future, making our farm's surplus produce available to our local community again.

 The Losses are Great

The Pioneer Grove project was about preserving green space, providing starter homes, supporting small businesses, and continuing the work of feeding and connecting our community to the land. I'm saddest for the countless future generations that may never know this place for its rich history and beauty.

 The project was not about a personal win for me, yet losing this fight is still hitting really hard — not just for me, as it would have provided me a secure retirement, but for the team who worked so diligently to bring my vision to fruition. All of you who shared this dream with me, please know we did our very best. Despite the false allegations of wrongdoing on my part by members of the Council, my team and I did things the right way — honestly, and with integrity — just like I grow the food here that has fed members of Balch Springs and the greater DFW area since 2008.

 We didn’t lose this because our application was flawed, or because of valid concerns about firetruck access — there is room — or hypothetical traffic jams. We have held public events here, including a certified farmers market, for over 10 years without any issues.

 Let's be clear, we lost because of politics, falsehoods and small-mindedness.

 That’s a bitter pill, but it doesn’t erase the value of what we tried to build or what we have done here for nearly 20 years. I've heard from many of you urging me to just do "what is best for me". While I appreciate the sentiment, that's hard to accept when I was trying so hard to do what could have served everyone, including me, but was kept from doing so for no good, valid reason. It just seems so senseless. I'm beyond frustrated - I'm furious.

 I will look for comfort in knowing that we stood on the right side of truth, honor, and possibilities - working to create a brighter more sustainable future for those who come after us.

 I hope those with the power of voting in this town will remember the actions of these "leaders" come election time. This was NOT the will of the majority of this community. We again thank former Mayor Dr. Carrie Gordon and sitting Councilman Vincent Gabriel for their positive support of the project. Thank you also to the Planning and Zoning Commissioners who, even though they may not have felt personally Pioneer Grove was their cup of tea, saw the vision and benefits for the greater good it would have brought.

 From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for believing in Pioneer Grove, in this farm and in me. Your strong support has reminded me that there are still people willing to fight for good things. And that matters to me more than I can express.

 With Gratitude,

Farmer Marie