5th Avenue Orchard

Contact Information: 
Address: 3013 W Fifth Ave
Neighborhood/Community Area: East Garfield Park
Garden Established: 2013
Protected by NeighborSpace: 2019
Social Media/Website:
Community Partners: Garfield Park Community Council

About the Garden: In 2013 the Garfield Park Community Council along with Openlands first developed its vision for a community orchard along 5th Avenue. The Council’s leaders were motivated by residents who shopped at Garfield Park Farmers Market who expressed a desire for locally grown fruit. Five years later, as part of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development’s Resilient Corridors Project, two vacant parcels between Albany and Sacramento will be repurposed for a community orchard that doubles as stormwater infrastructure. The two parcels are across the street from one another. The first is more visible and sits on the SW corner of 5th Ave and Sacramento. Current plans call for it to be more of a passive, production site, with a simple walk through. The second, larger site is on the north side of 5th avenue, is envisioned as a site for community gatherings and fruit tree training. Funded jointly by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and the City, the project will divert and direct stormwater from surrounding streets and alleys into green infrastructure elements such as trees, native gardens and urban agriculture all to be built on city-owned land. Since September, 2018 there have been a series of community meetings to engage local residents and stakeholder in the design of the orchard. The plan is for the major remediation to be completed and infrastructure elements to be installed in 2018, with the softscape and community elements being layered on in phases in 2019-2020. Key to the site’s success will be a community stewardship and training plan, which NeighborSpace plans to develop alongside the community council.