Take Action on the Arbutus Corridor
Danger! photo by Jonathan Bleackley
When I moved to my current residence close to seven years ago I immediately tried to meet my neighbours and find ways to discover my new community in Kitsilano.
We live in a small space just shy of 700 sq feet for the three of us so we spend a lot of time out of the home as a necessity. Adjacent to our new home are the abandoned Canadian Pacific Railway rail tracks along West 6th Avenue. Much of the corridor nearby has been transformed into vibrant gardens where hundreds of people stroll through and enjoy with their friends or pets each day.
Arbutus Corridor photo by adamdoneill
Unfortunately, there weren’t any available spaces in the existing gardens close by for us to jump in and get gardening. High in demand and with limited space, this growing and increasingly densifying neighbourhood has few options for fellow apartment dwellers to get a little dirty and try to grow their own food. On my frequent walks down the tracks, I met some like minded folks in the neighbourhood and we quickly transformed a piece of the blackberry, weed choked and garbage strewn land that remained into one of the city’s first community orchards. Over the next several years we literally built community through the continued development of our community garden space.
Arbutus Corridor photo by adamdoneill
It’s been a remarkable experiment in local social capital development as people have shared their garden ideas, lessons and experience and offered others a chance to try their luck at gardening. In our particular garden we have a diverse group of folks, which keeps it interesting and accessible. There is now a varied group of people who contribute to maintaining the lands as an attractive and welcoming community amenity. Local service groups use some of the garden space for therapy or skills development. These service groups offer members with mental health issues a chance to garden with other community members, or teach others to grow herbs for cooking classes. I’ve met grandparents who bring their grandchildren to the garden to pass on their garden knowledge in Italian or Cantonese, new parents who show their toddlers where their food comes from and students having fun with their first garden experience.
Pretty much every visit I make to the garden I am reminded on how fortunate we are to have such a place when people passing by comment on how much they appreciate the gardens.
Canadian Pacific Railway has recently posted notices and no trespassing signs next to the gardens. The Railway claims they are considering “regular rail operations” on the overgrown and rotten rail tracks. The railway wants us (and you) to stay off the abandoned property and remove the verdant trees, shrubs and flowers by July 31st, 2014. It is hard to conceive that there is any viable place to transport goods along this corridor. We’re also a little surprised that after 14 years of no activity or sign of rail work that Canadian Pacific Railway needs to resume in the middle of the summer with the gardens in full bloom.
Arbutus Corridor photo by adamdoneill
Garden Gathering on July 26
There will be a gathering on Saturday, July 26th/2014 (11-5) in the gardens along the tracks between Fir and Maple. Local gardeners will be offering tours and speaking about their gardens; some of who have been gardening here close to 25 years. This may be your last chance to enjoy this much loved community space.
What you can do
If you like what you see I encourage you to write to both Canadian Pacific Railway and Vancouver City Council to preserve this important community space.
- Adam Vasilevich, VPSN Member and Gardener
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Also, on August 9
VPSN is planning on hosting an ‘communal cross-town stroll’ along the entire route, from Granville Island to Marpole, to enjoy the beautiful gardens and pocket greenspaces that have been nurtured next to the tracks, and to explore the diversity of verdant neighbourhoods that the Arbutus Corridor passes through. We’ll also be on the look-out for what changes CP has made to the gardens since the July 31 deadline. Stay tuned for more details on this important corridor in the Arbutus neighbourhood.