SummerLands Project
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Does your community group have an idea for a temporary pop-up park, container garden, community event space or art installation?
Ramsey County is making some parcels of county-owned land available for seasonal community use. Apply to manage a piece of land from May - October 2021.
Applications for the 2021 season are now closed.
Requirements
- Seasonal use, all uses must end before Oct. 31 and land must be returned to previous state.
- Application needs to be from or sponsored by a non-profit organization.
- Liability insurance - minimum $1 million dollars.
- Have a plan and funding. Ramsey County is not offering funding, just access to the land.
- One time use is discouraged.
- All land is smoke-free, tobacco-free, drug-free and e-cig free.
- No consumption of alcohol is permitted on the land.
- The land must remain open to the public.
- Must conform with all city ordinances including noise, sound amplification, etc.
- Must keep site up to city code, this includes grass length, debris, and overall cleanliness.
- Land must be free of hate speech, religious speech (separation of church and state), and strong political statements.
Acceptable uses
Temporary community event space
- Performance space.
- Meeting space.
- Market space.
- Festival space.
Temporary park or greenspace
- Seating/rest areas.
- Off-the-ground compost container.
- Exercise space.
- Yard games.
Temporary art installations
Temporary container garden
- Sites do not have water sources
- No gardening in the soil on the eligible land
- Containers must be above ground and soil from selected land cannot be used
- See “Other Resources” for additional gardening resources
Available land
Land available for temporary use:
Apply
Applications for 2021 are now closed.
- Application (PDF)
- Application (Word)
- Review team and criteria
Other resources
Interactive property map
Look up who owns pieces of land in your neighborhood. Many vacant lots are privately owned.
Reserving spaces for events
Pop-up park examples
Saint Paul gardening guides, codes and regulations
- City-wide gardening policies (including when to use pesticides/fertilizer on public land)
- How to manage edible produce grown on public lands
- Fire hydrant permits for water use
Gardening tips and resources
- How to container garden (U of M Youtube video)
- How to: container gardens (Bachman's Floral Youtube video)
- Soil Testing Laboratory (U of M)
- Frogtown Green
- Plants for Minnesota Bees (U of M)
- Upper Midwest home garden calendar
- Starting Seeds Indoors (U of M)
- Urban agriculture
Master Gardeners
SNAP gardens
Composting and yard waste
Contact Us
Related Resources
- Available land
- Review team and criteria
- Flyer - English (PDF)
- Flyer - Spanish (PDF)