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Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie says council has made it a priority for staff to create new community gardens in the city.
Photo by Hannah Scott
City planning more community gardens
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 11:54 PDT, Mon August 23, 2021
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The city is hoping to add more community gardens to address the long waiting list of interested residents, and is looking for public feedback.
“These gardens build community by bringing people together to share their gardening knowledge and stories. The numerous benefits derived from community gardens deem them special places and the city would like to offer more,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Receiving residents’ feedback for the planning process means we will be able to tailor our projects to better serve our community.”
Along with its community partner Urban Bounty (formerly known as Richmond Food Security Society), the city currently operates 11 community gardens comprising over 400 plots. And the popularity of these sites continues to grow. According to a July parks, recreation and community services committee meeting, there were 661 residents on the waiting list for community gardens as of June.
With low occupancy turnover in community gardens, building new sites or expanding existing ones is the most effective way to address this significant demand.
The city is planning to construct 260 additional plots later this year, including 15 in an expanded Railway location, an additional 25 along the Railway Greenway corridor and 20 in the Cook neighbourhood school park.
The city also recently received approval from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to install 200 plots on the Garden City Lands. While this will help clear the waiting list, the city is also hoping to identify other sites, particularly in Steveston and along the Railway Greenway corridor where, according to Urban Bounty, a significant number of wait-listed residents live.
For more information, visit LetsTalkRichmond.ca, email parks@richmond.ca or call the City’s Parks Services department at 604-244-1208. Public feedback will be accepted through Sept. 12.
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