Community garden to be installed at Art Wilkinson Park

At the January 11, 2022 Regular Meeting of Council, City Council decided to proceed with the installation of a community garden at Art Wilkinson Park (492 Glencoe Drive) for the following reasons:

• the garden will provide members of the community with a place to grow their own food, build social connections, and be active outdoors;
• recent studies have found that community gardens offer mental health benefits;
• additional garden plots will help the City meet its goals of enhancing food security and social connectedness through urban agriculture;
• gardens aid in making a community more resilient to climate change – the varied plant material increases biodiversity, provides a source of food for pollinators, and reduces the urban heat island effect during periods of extreme heat;
• Art Wilkinson Park is a highly suitable location due to a variety of factors such as access to sunlight and water, access to transit and parking, and potential for school or community partnerships; and
• community garden plots are in high demand in Port Moody.

In September 2021, we asked Glenayre residents to tell us what they thought about a proposal to add a community garden to the neighbourhood, and we received 119 completed surveys in response. We value input from the public and thank all respondents for taking the time to share their thoughts. In making their decision, Council considered the survey results along with additional factors, such as staff assessment of suitable locations for a garden, goals set out in Port Moody’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and the potential benefits of a garden for the community as a whole.

Many respondents expressed concern that a community garden may have negative impacts such as traffic and parking lot congestion or an increase in encounters with dangerous wildlife. Local and regional experiences with community gardens have shown us, however, that impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood are typically positive. Here is some information that may help alleviate concerns related to wildlife and traffic congestion:

Wildlife
Community gardens are no different than a residential garden and contain a variety of plants, both edible and ornamental. Certain plants attract bears more than others. The City works with community garden groups to ensure that gardens adhere to the City’s Human-Bear Management Plan.

Traffic and parking
The Grow Local Society is the group that will manage the garden and the City will work with their members to ensure the garden is managed in line with City policies and bylaws. While the City is proposing 60 garden plots at this location, we do not anticipate that all users will visit the location at the same time and any increase to traffic and parking at the existing parking lot at the Glenayre Community Centre will be minor.

City staff will monitor the Art Wilkinson Park Community Garden and any impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood, and present a report to Council after the garden has been in use for one year.