I remember reading about this some months back and the garden looked nothing like the pic you posted. It was a small front yard loaded with veggies. I hope they get their garden back. The city is way out of line here.
Perhaps a different case? There have been several of these in the news over the past couple of years in different communities.
There have been several books published on edible landscapes. When I was a child, vegetables in the front yards were common and usually indicated that an Italian, Armenian, or Greek immigrant lived in that house. And those folks were always generous to their neighbors with their produce. Nobody complained on “aesthetics”.
The main problem with growing veggies in the front yard is that they need constant tending, or they can get messy. Growing veggies in the front yard is no “run the mower once a week and be done” proposition.