The District has approved the 1223 Clarke Rd site for the Central Saanich Community Garden Society to establish a community garden for Central Saanich residents. The society intends to involve the community in educational opportunities and otherwise. They are now fundraising and seeking material donations. https://csgardens.org/

A Public Hearing is scheduled for October 25 at 6 pm in regards to rezoning 1233 Clarke Rd.

The District is proposing to rezone the western portion of 1233 Clarke Road that fronts on Lucille Drive, from R-2 Residential Two Family to P-1 General Institutional with an amendment that includes
Community Gardens" on this property.

Details on how to participate in the public hearing are here.

Read the full staff report here: Community Garden Society: Final Proposal

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society presented a final proposal to Council June 14, 2021, and outlined their plan for a small community garden at 1223 Clarke Drive. The society is working on many community partnerships. They have been working with Brentwood Elementary, and the Boys and Girls Club is excited to utilize their own garden bed at the site in their program. The society also intends to work with Girl Guides groups and use the garden to foster local indigenous educational opportunities about native plants and traditional plant names. The public will be invited to workshops and events once the garden is established.

1223 Clarke was approved as the site due to the available infrastructure (public washroom, parking, transit access and water), having 1,725 properties within 1 km of this space, and because the majority of the Society's members live in Brentwood Bay and indicate they will often walk to the site.

The project is now focused on fundraising and planning; construction is anticipated for early 2022 in time for the spring growing season.

Why are community gardens important?

Community gardens are inclusive by design; offering low cost access to garden space. In addition to the benefits they offer for mental and physical health, food security is an increasing local and regional issue. A community garden offers opportunities for partnerships and public educational that strengthen Central Saanich residents involvement in, and appreciation for, local food supply chains. In addition, community gardens can help increase local economic and community resilience for members.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, 1 in 10 Central Saanich residents who responded to Island Health’s COVID-19 SPEAK Survey indicated that they, “worry that food will run out before they get money to buy more” while 1 in 4 respondents said it is more difficult to meet financial needs. Regional food security is a prevalent concern of residents; during the Official Community Plan survey in 2021, "food security" ranked highest as an urgent priority for Central Saanich in in the future; and second highest as an urgent priority now. Climate and global health events are expected to increase in frequency and severity in future.

The society is committed to being a good neighbour and working with the local neighbourhood. If you have ideas or concerns, please reach out to the society.

The society is now fundraising and planning. If you're interested in getting involved or to learn more about their proposal, please see https://csgardens.org/plans

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society will be presenting their final proposal to Council on June 14, 2021. The society has refined their vision for a small community garden based on the site at 1223 Clarke Road and the feedback they've received.

To learn about their proposal, please see their website or contact the society.

To view the Council meeting, please see the District's CivicWeb portal for the meeting minutes, agendas, and more. Agenda are typically posted on the Thursday or Friday prior to the meeting and will include a link to the meeting. This meeting will start at 6:00 p.m.

If you wish to submit a question or comment to Council for the meeting, email municipal.hall@csaanich.ca prior to 12:00 noon on the day of the meeting. Please note in your email that it is intended for the Public Question Period; any correspondence marked as such will be recorded under Public Question Period and read aloud in the meeting. Please keep your comments brief, as the allotted time remains limited. Your comments may have to be summarized to fit within the allotted time.

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society continues community consultation and is presenting design concepts and working with stakeholders on a proposed design. You can view the presentation here and learn more at https://csgardens.org/.

Neighbourhood Consultation Meeting

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society has preliminary designs to share with the community for the proposed project and invites the public to a presentation. This is a chance to learn more, meet the board, share ideas and concerns, and learn about the process.

Staff from the District will be available to provide an overview of the process and take part in this neighbourhood consultation process.

Meeting Details

The meeting will take place on March 30th at 7 pm, through Zoom. The Zoom information is as follows:

Time: Mar 30, 2021 07:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://uvic.zoom.us/j/81447472691?pwd=L2FZRjRoQTU3ZlRHYkxCSVNzczV1Zz09

Meeting ID: 814 4747 2691 Password: 208290

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society is seeking public input on their concept of design. You can find the design on their website along with sketches and impression pictures, www.csgardens.org/plans.

The society will be hosting a Zoom meeting in March to connect with the community to provide an update and get input on the garden design. Details about this meeting will be posted in the near future on the website.

With questions on the project, please email at gardens@csgardens.org.

For questions about the Community Partnership Program or the process of how this project will come forward to Council, please email Community Services Manager Britt Burnham at Britt.Burnham@CSaanich.ca

In September 2020, the District received a proposal to make public land and some funding available to establish a community garden. (The application was submitted to the District’s Community Partnership Program, wherein proposals are due by October of each year.)

Determining a site

A detailed review of potential spaces was undertaken in Central Saanich. While the Society has explored private land and working with local schools, public land was presented as the only option at this time. Community gardens are most successful and well maintained when they are easy to access. Most members of the Society on the plot waitlist are from Brentwood Bay, and the core of Brentwood Village has the highest concentration of homes without gardens. The site being reviewed is behind the Boys and Girls Club at the Cultural Centre is within a 1 km walk of 1,700 homes and is near a public washroom and parking lot. It is currently used as open green space for neighbours and the Boys and Girls Club. The B&G Club has noted the garden would offer benefits and they can utilize other green space.

Consultation

The Central Saanich Community Garden Society will be working with staff and the community to come up with a design concept for the public to comment on. Staff and the proponent will explore feasibility before reporting back to Council by early 2021, at which time Council may be presented with a final proposal.

The District will be involved in the public consultation so as to hear directly from the community about support, ideas and concerns.

As soon as design concepts are ready for public comment, they will be posted on this site.