Richmond seeks public input on community gardens

23 August 2021

The City of Richmond is developing a strategy to address the increasing need for future community gardens and is seeking input to find out where residents may like to see community gardens located, how to meet the increasing city-wide demand and what other considerations should be part of the planning process.

The public is invited to visit LetsTalkRichmond.ca to learn more and complete an online survey until Sunday, September 12, 2021. Input will inform a Council report planned for the fall.

“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. “Council has made it a priority for staff to create new community gardens. Receiving residents’ feedback for the planning process means we will be able to tailor our projects to better serve our community.”

The City, with its community partner Urban Bounty (formerly known as Richmond Food Security Society), currently operates 11 community gardens comprising over 400 individual garden plots. While many Richmond residents enjoy gardening at these sites, the waitlist for plots steadily increases. With low gardener turnover in community gardens, building new gardens or expanding existing gardens is the most effective way to address this significant demand.

In July 2021, City staff provided Council with an update regarding current efforts to construct more community gardens throughout Richmond, including up to 200 plots on the Garden City Lands. Only recently did the City receive approval from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to move forward with that project. While this would make a significantly positive impact on the substantial waitlist, the City is looking for resident feedback to identify other sites, particularly in the Steveston area 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.