Five Acre Farm won't contain an affordable housing component, following a vote by Nanaimo City Council on Monday, Dec. 18. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Five Acre Farm

Nanaimo Council picks park over including affordable housing for Five Acre Farm

Dec 19, 2023 | 5:07 PM

NANAIMO — Surrounded by exponential growth, a working urban farm in south Harewood encroached by continuous development will be preserved.

Following two rounds of public consultations, 933 Park Ave. widely known as Five Acre Farm, will be set aside for park use, farm practices and a protected wetland.

On Monday, Dec. 18 councillors sided with one of five options floated by City staff, with the others involving a combination of park and affordable housing for the site near Park Ave. Elementary School near Alpen Way.

Saying green space is at a premium within city limits, coun. Ben Geselbracht said the property presents great opportunities to continue building on agricultural and food-growing initiatives.

“There’s a lot of unused agricultural space in our rural areas and a lack of farmers, so hopefully this space can be a source of information for the next generation to grow more food on Vancouver Island,” Geselbracht said.

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Purchased by the City in 2019, potential future uses at that time included food production, a farmers’ market, wetland restoration, nature park and affordable housing.

This past June, City Council instructed staff to include a fifth option to keep the property intact without affordable housing — it was the option ultimately approved Monday night following a second public review.

City staff felt both food security and affordable housing objectives could be achieved on the property.

Coun. Erin Hemmens said the public has clearly spoken.

“I tend to agree with staff, we probably could put some housing on there and I’d be inclined to be a bit more creative in terms of the footprint that’s already there — but it was just clear for me hearing from the community.”

Option five would see the existing home removed and a variety of recreational amenities established to complement the existing community-based food-growing usage. (City of Nanaimo)

An open house event was even more slanted in favour of the desire for no housing on the property.

Outvoted 8-1, coun. Ian Thorp preferred option two, involving four acres of park use and an acre set aside for a modest affordable housing development adjacent to Park Ave.

“That’s an option I’d like to see developed, not a huge housing site there, but some type of small housing units on that land and it would still at that point allow space for what I’ll call large garden plots.”

Thorpe doesn’t view the entire lot used for park as the site’s best and highest use.

More than three-quarters of respondents in a recent online survey supported option five. (City of Nanaimo)

Currently comprising of a single-family home, wetland and section for agricultural purposes, the City envisions the home’s removal.

Creating recreational space such as trails and a boardwalk, as well as establishing a nature playground among other public amenities are forseen by the City.

Most recently valued at 1.8 million, 933 Park Ave, the property is the site of a multi-partner collaboration, which includes an urban food-growing partnership between the City and Nanaimo Foodshare Society.

The City bought Five Acre Farm for $1.375 million in 2019.

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ian.holmes@pattison.media.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes