Austin, TX ­- It may sound far-­fetched, but the newly­-passed, 99­-acre Holly Shores Master Plan 
includes an edible forest garden, free and open to the public, on a patch of parkland just east of 
I-­35. Adding to the already bustling local food movement in Austin, the Festival Beach Food 
Forest (FBFF) is a pilot project to grow fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs on city­-owned land, 
using novel low­-water and low-­maintenance methods. 
 
On a household scale, growing food in East Austin is nothing new. Once inhabited by Native 
Americans, then by German and Swedish farmers, and Mexican American families, the rich soil 
of the surrounding neighborhoods has supported residents for generations. Today, food forests 
already provide organic produce and hands­-on garden education at several local schools, thanks 
to the leadership of students and teachers in partnership with the Austin Permaculture Guild and 
EcoRise Youth Innovations.  
 
Building on this legacy, the East Feast Coalition is working to make larger public agriculture 
projects easier to establish. The Coalition’s FBFF project envisions 2 acres of parkland 
transformed into a verdant and productive edible forest ­- with no fences. Produce will be freely 
available to neighborhood residents, the RBJ Center food bank, and other members of the 
public. Urban Patchwork (FBFF’s parent nonprofit), the City of Austin’s Sustainable Urban 
Agriculture and Community Garden Program, Urban Forestry Program, and other city officials 
are collaborating to support the delicious vision. 
 
Neighborhood activists have passionately persevered to protect the natural tranquility and 
neighborhood character of Holly Shores since the 1970s, and the Master Plan officially protects 
the area from commercial development. As a community resource, the food forest will be tended 
by volunteer stewards from surrounding neighborhoods, and independently financed by grants 
and donations.  
 
 The adjacent Festival Beach Community Garden, an FBFF ally, already supports a diverse 
membership, including members of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition as well as neighborhood 
residents. In solidarity, FBFF aims to empower all Austin residents with agricultural knowledge 
through experiential learning.  
 
This low­-maintenance approach to agriculture is drawn from ancient methods. By utilizing 
natural processes and careful design, maintenance requirements for a food forest can drop 
steadily after the initial landscaping, planting and mulching, reaching maturity after about a 
decade. 
 
For more information, to volunteer, or to request a presentation for your neighborhood 
association or group, contact the East Feast Coalition at eastfeast2022@gmail.com, or visit 
www.festivalbeach.org 

WAHOO! We're moving along, folks! Council voted 7-0 to approve an amended version of the Holly Shores Master Plan, which includes <1 acre of initial food forestry on a patch of public parkland on the east side of Waller St.

East Feast would like to thank all of our volunteers and collaborators for their hard work so far - it's a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and vision that we've gotten to this point. Next steps: fundraising, outreach, and finalizing the design, so you and me can get our hands dirty and put some plants in the ground!

Stay tuned for more details over the next week or two - we will be holding more public design meetings, and want to hear your feedback, suggestions, and concerns! In the meantime, please feel free to use our comment form, and join the mailing list if you haven't already done so.

With love,
East Feast
via Jesse, Outreach Coordinator

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1519039734998267/

THIS THURSDAY at 700 Lavaca St. - this should be the ultimate meeting on the Holly Shores Master Plan, in which the Council votes to approve or deny the Plan. The Festival Beach Food Forest is an addendum to the Master Plan, and we can move forward as the Plan does. Come join us in solidarity!

If you are able to attend this meeting, please wear green to show your support of the Food Forest project!

TRANSPORTATION:
Meet at 6pm at Rabbit's (upstairs from Whisler's, on 6th and Chicon) and we will carpool to the Council meeting! We have a 15-person van, leaving at 6:30pm to head over to the meeting (at 700 Lavaca). Come ride with us! The van will be acting as a shuttle, making runs periodically to ferry people to and from the meeting. Look for the green shirts! We will be heading back to Rabbit's post-meeting for a decompression session, and to return you to your vehicle.

You don't have to speak to show solidarity with the Food Forest project - your presence is more than enough! However, if you do choose to sign up for a slot to speak at the meeting, we request that you keep in mind our overarching message: that this project will move forward only with the spirit of love and long-term community support. Wee see this as an opportunity to unite disparate voices for the good of all, not to further enforce existing divisions. Here are our talking points:

Make healthy food accessible to all
Grow community and connect neighbors
Preserve natural tranquility and vibrant ecological health
Provide a safe and fun place to explore and experience nature
Project sustainability thru Committed Stewards

And our intention for how we will walk into City Hall:
Inviting. Grounded in the overarching vision of what inspires us and we know to be possible for the food forest. Prepared to speak from that future place, and listen for ways to invite people into it.  (see: http://festivalbeachfoodforest.weebly.com/east-feast.html)
Loving. Grounded in our love for other people, for each other, our city. We all are connected, we all belong. 
Empowered. Grounded in our own individual power, within ourselves, our own confidence, our own highest selves.