Community Garden Land-Loss Response, Relocation and Exit Workbook

Purpose: Use this workbook when a community garden may lose its current site, or as an annual preparedness drill before a threat exists.

Boundary: This workbook is not legal advice. Do not interpret leases, licenses, ownership, notice rights, or installed-improvement rights beyond your competence. Obtain qualified local legal advice when property rights or obligations are unclear.

1. Incident and garden identity

Garden
Site address / parcel
Date threat first identified
Response lead
Backup lead

2. What exactly happened?

Source of information
Exact statement / document
Verified by
Status	☐ Rumor ☐ Preliminary ☐ Written notice ☐ Confirmed nonrenewal ☐ Confirmed sale/development ☐ Access terminated ☐ Other

3. Land-control record

Current owner / controlling agency
Agreement type	☐ Lease ☐ License ☐ MOU ☐ Management agreement ☐ Permit ☐ Letter ☐ Other ☐ Unknown
Agreement start
Agreement end
Renewal / extension options
Notice deadline
Termination grounds
Default / cure process
Improvement ownership language
Removal / restoration obligations
Qualified legal review needed?	☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Unsure

4. Immediate exposure freeze

Continue	Pause	Needs review
Safety, harvest, minimum water, required maintenance...	Permanent improvements, new capital work...	Grants, insurance, contracts, utilities...

5. Negotiation / protection track

Question	Answer / next action	Owner	Date
What outcome does the landowner/host need?
Is an extension possible?
Is renewal possible?
Is purchase/public acquisition feasible?
Is a land trust or conservation partner relevant?
What funding/due diligence is required?

6. Relocation screening

Candidate site	Written control	Site history / soil	Water	Sun/drainage	Access	Approvals	Disposition

Do not waive the normal site-selection, contamination, water, tenure, accessibility, zoning, insurance, or safety gates merely because the current site is ending.

7. Asset disposition inventory

Asset	Who owns it?	Fixed or movable?	Permission needed?	Destination	Action

8. Member communication record

What we know
What we do not know
What changes now
What continues
Next decision date
Communication channel

9. Season transition

Issue	Decision
New planting cutoff
Likely final harvest date
Perennials / trees
Compost
Water shutdown
Tool / key return
Donation / produce disposition

10. Final disposition

☐ Proceed on current site ☐ Investigate ☐ Modify / short extension ☐ Relocate ☐ Transfer ☐ Pause ☐ Stop / close

Evidence supporting disposition
Authorized decision maker / body
Decision date
Next review date if unresolved

11. Exit closeout

☐ Gardener notice complete

☐ Crops/harvest disposition complete

☐ Assets inventoried

☐ Fixed-improvement permissions resolved

☐ Utilities / water shut down as required

☐ Trash / hazardous materials removed appropriately

☐ Restoration obligations completed

☐ Keys/access returned

☐ Insurance / contracts / subscriptions reviewed

☐ Bank, records, passwords, member list preserved

☐ Final photos taken

☐ Landowner/host signoff obtained if applicable

☐ Lessons-learned report stored

12. Prove the organization survived the site loss

☐ We still have leadership and a contact channel.

☐ We still have complete records and financial control.

☐ Members know the disposition and next step.

☐ Assets are accounted for.

☐ No one is relying on an unverified promise of a replacement site.

☐ We have either documented new site control, a defined search process, or an orderly closure.

Revision: September 6, 2026. Prepared by New World Survival. Verify local property law, agreement terms, planning actions, insurance, and site requirements.