1697 replies to this topic

[JanionGuy]

This just in...

 

A local urban agriculture company (i've been asked not to divulge) is setting up a large outdoor growing facility in the vacant lands on Harbour Road (Dockside Green).  The operation will be growing greens for local restaurants etc.  

 

Features of this project are reported to include:

 

- compost from reFUSE

- Bicycle delivery of produce to local restaurants.

- Product delivered in reusable totes

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Edited by JanionGuy, 08 March 2016 - 04:16 PM.

[Mike K.]

Organic veggie garden comes to life at Dockside Green

http://victoria.citi...dockside-green/

 

Vic West's Dockside Green development is about to get a little greener with the installation of an organic vegetable "GrowSpace."

 

Created by Victoria-based Topsoil, a gardening company extracting untapped food production potential from urban spaces, GrowSpace uses movable planters to create gardens on rooftops or otherwise non-arable land. And the one thing Dockside Green has plenty of while awaiting future phases of construction just happens to be the key ingredient for Topsoil's operations. [Full article]

[VicHockeyFan]

This just in...

 

A local urban agriculture company (i've been asked not to divulge) is setting up a large outdoor growing facility in the vacant lands on Harbour Road (Dockside Green).  The operation will be growing greens for local restaurants etc.  

 

Features of this project are reported to include:

 

- compost from reFUSE

- Bicycle delivery of produce to local restaurants.

- Product delivered in reusable totes

 

Not to rain too heavily on this parade, but it looks like a highly inefficient way of farming.  For some niche products and for some restaurants that can afford the extra cost because they have decent margins and are already successes, but for the other 99% of food consumption*, and the other 99.5% of farm products*, it looks weak.

 

*usual

[Mike K.]

It's not a mass production facility, but for restaurants that want organic produce grown locally and delivered expediently this is the ultimate solution without them having to secure their own farmland (which several local restaurants have done). I think this is great -- brilliant even -- and despite its small size it's still an opportunity.

[nagel]

It's not a mass production facility, but for restaurants that want organic produce grown locally and delivered expediently this is the ultimate solution without them having to secure their own farmland (which several local restaurants have done). I think this is great -- brilliant even -- and despite its small size it's still an opportunity.

Not to mention it's a fairly high traffic area.  People are going to get to see these things sprout up essentially from dirt in garbage bags, enticing them to give it a try themselves.  It shows you don't need a greenhouse, irrigation and a bunch of illegal workers to grow your own food.

[Mike K.]

And there's that, too. Done right this could be a huge benefit to Topsoil.

[rambaldi]

Not to rain too heavily on this parade, but it looks like a highly inefficient way of farming.  For some niche products and for some restaurants that can afford the extra cost because they have decent margins and are already successes, but for the other 99% of food consumption*, and the other 99.5% of farm products*, it looks weak.

 

*usual

 

While not as visible to the public, farming inside shipping containers also kind of fits into the whole Dockside Green BETA profile and might prove to be an even better business model.

[VicHockeyFan]

Not to mention it's a fairly high traffic area.  People are going to get to see these things sprout up essentially from dirt in garbage bags, enticing them to give it a try themselves.  It shows you don't need a greenhouse, irrigation and a bunch of illegal workers to grow your own food.

 

Well, in this case it appears you need free land (it's being donated for a year).  That's normally a bit tough to come by.  I also think there is some potential for theft here, hope not of course.

[attica]

Well, in this case it appears you need free land (it's being donated for a year).  That's normally a bit tough to come by.  I also think there is some potential for theft here, hope not of course.

 

Actually, This is a trick developers use in Vancouver all the time. By allowing community gardening, or creating a simple "park". Fallow land waiting for development is reclassified as "park" for property tax purposes, thus drastically decreasing property taxes and carrying costs. 

Onni in Vancouver went as far as just put a fence up, added some gravel, opened it to the public and called it a Dog Park

[VicHockeyFan]

Actually, This is a trick developers use in Vancouver all the time. By allowing community gardening, or creating a simple "park". Fallow land waiting for development is reclassified as "park" for property tax purposes, thus drastically decreasing property taxes and carrying costs. 

Onni in Vancouver went as far as just put a fence up, added some gravel, opened it to the public and called it a Dog Park

 

Apparently this one has a fence, I've now heard.

[Gary H]

I see Green...

[JanionGuy]

Greens are coming along nicely!

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[JanionGuy]

HOPS!

 

 

 

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[laconic]

We received one of those City of Victoria notices to the neighborhood that the project was going to be up for discussion soon.

 

The City of Victoria development tracker has all the documents, but the one with the most information about the actual project is:

 

https://web2.victori...473 (11x17).pdf

 

The buildings get taller as they progress toward Esquimalt Rd.

[Nparker]

...The [theoretical] buildings get taller as they progress toward Esquimalt Rd.

I won't believe taller buildings are coming to Dockside Green until they are built and occupied.

[Mike K.]

Weirdie, are you able to describe what the dates are and what will be up for discussion?

Their affordable housing townhomes should be coming up soon.

[Gary H]

The notice is a request for feedback on the new (May 2016) Dockside Green Urban Design Guidelines and the exemption of future subdivision applications from requiring a development permit.  Input is requested by June 8th.  No date for a public hearing has been set yet.

 

My take is that the Dockside Green team has been working hard at getting as much design and approval legwork done as possible, including creating subdivisions based on the those designs, to enable developers to come in and just start building - to the approved design guidelines of course.  Pick your favorite subdivision Mr. Developer and just build it.

 

Here is the subdivision extract from: https://tender.victo...116155216600000,  note the second paragraph.

 

Edited by Gary H, 22 May 2016 - 09:49 AM.

[Mike K.]

OK, great. This is the style of development we had theorized would happen.

[Nparker]

... Pick your favorite subdivision Mr. Developer and just build it...

This.

[jonny]

Kind of funny that the clowns running DG are missing the hottest real estate market since 2007...