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Farming Planned For 60 Acres Of Blighted Detroit Land

DETROIT (AP) — About 22 blocks of vacant land in Detroit are destined for a future in agriculture.

The Detroit News reports that officials detailed a plan Monday that calls for 60 acres on the city's east side to be used for greenhouses and hoop houses where specialty vegetables will be grown.

The project will be operated by RecoveryPark Farms and is expected to provide 128 jobs with 60 percent going to Detroit residents.

Mayor Mike Duggan says the project is taking "the hardest to employ" and "putting them to work on land that had been long abandoned and forgotten."

The Detroit Land Bank Authority will lease 35 acres to RecoveryPark, a nonprofit that turns blighted areas into land that can be farmed.

The Detroit City Council has to OK the plan.

 
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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