City officials formally approved a year-round greenhouse for an urban farm in the Upper Albany neighborhood that operated without permits for months.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved unanimously on the night of October 14 a special permit for the nonprofit organization Levo International to operate a hydroponic farm at 441 Homestead Ave., an industrial property near Route 44 and Westbourne Parkway that sat largely vacant for decades.
Levo's application, filed in August, billed the plan as a "destination engagement and education center" for students to learn about food security and hydroponic farming while growing fresh produce for the local community. The organization said in its application that the project is largely educational and "not intended to be an agricultural operation," though it hopes to ultimately produce more than 50,000 pounds of produce annually.
The organization's plan states that the initial site design is open-air, but there are plans to construct more permanent fixtures. Multiple heated greenhouses and indoor farming spaces would allow for year-round production and education, in addition to more job opportunities at the facility, the organization states.
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