New York’s Gotham Greens rooftop farming operation recently announced that it would be expanding and building the nation’s largest rooftop farm in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood. It’s a boon for both rooftop agriculture and for the Windy City’s mission to become an urban farming hub.
The 75,000 sq. ft. greenhouse caps off a new $30 million facility built by Method, the San Francisco-based soap company. Expected to be in production next year, Gotham farmers will grow an estimated 1 million pounds of greens yearly, supplying Chicago restaurants, schools, hospitals, and universities.
But the farm’s enormous size isn’t all that’s noteworthy about the project. If done right, the rooftop farm could also help revive a historic African American neighborhood and bring fresh food to its residents.
Once the farm is up and running, Gotham will be selling its produce in the neighborhood at affordable prices. Nicole Baum, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn-based company, says this will be the first time Gotham has sold produce direct at local farmers markets, as opposed to, say, through Whole Foods. This will make the produce more accessible because low-income residents in Illinois who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get twice the dollar value at farmers markets.
