Can you give more info? When we started a parish garden to harvest for food banks, we tried to anticipate neighborhood issues, primarily appearance and concerns about who had been in charge of our very formal landscaping. We worked hard to plant flowers around the vegetables (some edible of course) to disguise them and to make ourselves aware of the "lead landscaper's" concerns and work through them, giving a little/taking a little. She is now much more supportive of the program.

What are you doing? What does your neighbor dislike or perceive as a threat?

Here is a link that might be useful: Experimental Gardener's Blog

I would never like to garden at a place where i do not feel comfortable and i do not feel comfortable at a place where someone has some bad feeling for me or my plants.
But as you said this is an official project, so you always have to bear issues like that while working on office projects ;) SO let your authorities decide that and you just play the act after final decision :)

Perhaps you caught her on a bad day.

Unfortunately, it's more likely that she is a nut case. If she is genuinely wacko, I'd worry about vandalism to the gardens.

I would walk around the neighborhood and casually talk to the neighbors. If they all think she is hot air and no danger, I'd go ahead and put in the garden. She'll adjust to it.

If the neighbors all think she is looney tunes, I'd think about finding a different location.

By the way, I'd love to hear the results of this situation.

haha yes, there is angry and there is MAD.

Wow, mad about a garden, now that's a real city person.
But yeah, unless she really is nuts, she'll adjust to it after she sees that it's not going to, er, ruin her life in some way.

sometimes moving the garden isn't possible. Put up a big fence between her and your garden and go with it. There are some people you can never get along with no matter what. She's likely to oppose it anywhere in "her" neighborhood. Once the garden gets going and there are no problems her complaints will most likely cease. Especially if she gets a few fresh tomatoes. Good luck.
Tally HO!

I would go ahead with the garden and offer her some nice produce as a gift eventually.

Late posting .... she may have had experiences with a poorly run garden. While I am supportive and am a part of my next door community garden, they haven't been the best neighbors ... yet. I supply water. Strong diligent garden organizations are good neighbors, ad hoc, poorly run and poorly maintained gardens are bad neighbors.

The community garden I belong to and helped refound is made up of naive people. I don't let them do everything as I am a neighbor first.

Do the exterior viewable part first. Offer a space. Have a serious looking individual (county extension! !!!)visit.

Before you consider them a crank... well do they have cause to worry.
1) A garden is considered an attractive nuisance. Wiki that term.
2) A garden is often used to espouse altruism. Give at the food pantry not at the site.
3) Urban gardens often devolve into hangouts when abandoned. Make a five year commitment. Monitor the site with a security system. Offer a reduced rate to police firemen and teachers.

In short make the neighborhood believe that a law abiding and wise neighbor is moving in.