2 community gardens proposed for Cloverdale

Published 1:30 pm Friday, July 10, 2026

Two community gardens are being proposed for East Surrey.

Paul Orazietti, a board member for the Cloverdale Community Association (CCA) and the executive director of the Cloverdale BIA, said both a “Wellness Garden” and a “Unity Garden” were being put forward for two sites in Cloverdale—one on the Fairgrounds and another at a yet-to-be-determined spot somewhere in town.

“The Wellness Garden is being proposed for the Fairgrounds on land beside the Stetson bowl,” Orazietti revealed.

The endeavour is being spearheaded by the CCA. Ken Bauder, CCA vice-president, said his group is advocating for building the two gardens in a partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU).

“The Cloverdale Community Association, in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, is proposing to develop and implement a food security training program,” Bauder noted. The project is “designed to strengthen community capacity for sustainable food production, healthy living, and climate resilience.”

The Institute for Sustainable Food Systems is a KPU multidisciplinary Applied Research Institute. The institute “aims to shape local and regional food systems that nurture people’s health and well-being and sustain thriving ecosystems,” according to the university.

Bauder noted the CCA wants to use a piece of city land for a temporary pilot program and is currently in talks with the city on where the garden would be built. He said they’re hoping to get going by Aug. 1. Workshops would follow in the fall, from September to December, in a collaboration with both SFU and KPU.

“The call for participants will go out after the workshop dates and land are confirmed,” Bauder explained.

He added they expect to run a steady workshop period in the fall, followed by a quiet period through the winter months, with a startup active in early 2027 that will continue through the growing season.

“Our goal is for a two-year, plus or minus, temporary city pilot site,” Bauder said. He added they’ll build up “an infrastructure that can be moved to a community garden location in Cloverdale when the pilot finishes.”

For more information, or to get in touch with the CCA, visit their website at cloverdalecommunity.org.