Winston-Salem leaders are considering a new management plan for the city's Kimberley Park hydroponic greenhouse.
City staff have selected Anders Family Farm of Tobaccoville to lease and operate the multimillion-dollar facility, which has sat vacant since June 2025. Until then, the city paid local food access nonprofit H.O.P.E. around $250,000 a year to manage it.
Sustainability Director Shaleen Miller said officials decided to go in a new direction after that agreement expired.
“It did not seem like a responsible use of taxpayer funds,” she said.
Under the new agreement, Anders would pay $2,500 per month to use the greenhouse, though that fee could be discounted if it offers certain community services. The city isn’t requiring the company to donate any of the food produced at the facility — instead, it will be sold to restaurants and at farmers’ markets.
Mayor Pro Tem D.D. Adams initially pitched the project over a decade ago as a solution to food insecurity. Ultimately, the greenhouse opened four years behind schedule and cost more than double its initial budget.
At a recent meeting, Adams acknowledged the challenges.
“When you have an idea, and you create it in your mind, it seems like it can get done, it can be successful," she said. "But you don't really think about the hurdles that you have to surpass to get to where you want to be.”
Council is set to vote on the management shift on Monday.