City officials and the urban agriculture community are close to a resolution concerning neighborhood farm stands, hoop houses, and compost — a compromise that has been months in the making.

City council’s zoning and planning committee on Wednesday recommended approval of amending the city’s municipal code to allow backyard gardeners to sell their produce in a residential area without a special-use permit.

“If somebody has a small card table out and they want to sell vegetables to their neighbors, why would that require a special-use permit? We thought about it and said, ‘You know, OK that makes sense,’” said Tom Gibbons, Toledo Plan Commission director.

The ordinance states farm stands must be 100 square feet or less and portable, such as a folding table or pop-up tent. It allows sales to be conducted only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

A hoop house, greenhouse, or other structure larger than 400 square feet will require a special-use permit.

“I think that we’ve been able to have reasonable compromises on what makes sense,” said Sean Nestor, who represents the Urban Agriculture Alliance, a new nonprofit organization that advocates for the urban agriculture community in Toledo.

Mr. Nestor pointed to a few areas where he said some urban farmers still have concerns. He told the committee he’d like to revisit the requirement of a special-use permit to operate a hoop house and some restrictions on compost piles.

Mr. Gibbons said the plan commission intends to check on how the new regulations are playing out in about a year.

“We’re going to be kind of unique here in the city of Toledo. If this is passed, we’ll be the only city in Ohio that will allow a primary structure in a residential district to not be a home. It can be used for urban agriculture,” he said, though a greenhouse would require a special-use permit. “We want to be an innovative city. Well I think this is letting us be a little innovative.”

The full city council must approve the changes, and council members expressed confidence Wednesday that they would pass the changes.

“This is the true meaning of coming together and actually meeting in the middle,” council President Matt Cherry said.

Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.

First Published April 11, 2018, 10:56 p.m.