2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 EDITOR NICK EAGLAND Community garden gets green light Riverfront Garden will let locals grow fruit and vegetables in Vancouver’s Fraserview area By CHRIS SLATER ting a new community garden fol- lowing the Vancouver Park Board’s unanimous approval of the project ear- lier this month. The Riverfront Garden will be in- corporated around an existing tennis court, located between Elliot and Jelli- coe streets near the north bank of the Fraser River. The project, sponsored by both the South Vancouver Family Place Society and Fraserlands Community Garden- ing Group, was approved Jan. 20 and will see 40 garden plots spread over 630 square metres of Riverfront Park. It will include a tool shed, fruit-bearing trees, pollinator boxes and an area for compost production. “We see this as a great place to bring the community together,” said Judith Horvath, chair of Fraserlands Community Gardening Group. “There’s a lot of social housing [in the area] so I think there are people there who would certainly benefit from being able to grow some food.” Horvath explained there are not many public green spaces in south Vancouver and the newly approved community garden has been welcomed by residents. “There have been a number of peo- ple [in the area] over the years who have on their own tried to petition the city for a community garden.” Sharon Babu of the South Vancou- ver Family Place Society is also pleased with the park board’s decision. “There are no amenities down there so whatever we can get that can ... sup- port that grassroots community devel- opment is just great.” Once the project is completed, members of the community will be able to reserve a space by putting their name on a list that is compiled on a first-come, first-served basis. Resi- dents can keep their plot until they de- cide they no longer want it, when it will be passed on to the next applicant. There will be a small fee for each plot to help cover insurance costs. Horvath estimates construction of the gardens could begin as early as spring. S" Vancouver residents are get- omMUN'TY POLICINGY OLU pCOMMUNITY POLICiy 4 VOLUNTEER GRAHAM McFIE photo Community policing volunteers Jason Yeh and Pamela Karellas patrol an Oakridge neighbourhood following an increase of break-ins. Thieves target Oakridge area Police report a sharp rise of break-in calls in first weeks of January By GRAHAM McFIE olice are urging Oakridge resi- dents to be cautious following a sharp increase of break-and-en- ters in the area. There were 15 break-ins reported in the first few weeks of January, with nine the week of Jan. 8 to Jan. 14, ac- cording to a Vancouver Police Depart- ment crime map. “Unfortunately there are a number of factors that may lead to an increase in a given neighborhood,” said VPD spokesman Sgt. Randy Fincham. “A new resident with a criminal his- tory moving into a neighbourhood or... . weather that causes residents to leave windows and doors unlocked may play arole.” The Kerrisdale Oakridge Marpole Community Policing Centre actively works with the community to prevent crimes like these. Jeremy Sally, communications direc- tor for KOMCPC, said suspects often fit a stereotype: wearing a hooded sweat- er and backpack, walking without a destination, avoiding eye contact and gazing into homes and yards. “They often have an aura about them that makes them seem out of place,” Sally said. He recommended residents record a suspect’s description and make note of which direction they are headed. “Police take these calls seriously. If they have enough information they will send a cruiser.” KOMCPC Const. Ryan Hooper rec- ommended residents build relation- ships with neighbors. “The more people can get to know their neighbours and be encouraged to report suspicious activity, the better -enabled the police department would be... to respond quicker.” The policing centre provides an en- graving service to etch a person’s driv- er’s licence number or BCID number onto their property to deter thieves. “We promote engraving because many people have goods that are easy to steal and difficult to identify,” Sally said. Hooper also recommended the pro- gram. “It’s a fantastic program. If we come across stolen property and these things are engraved, it gives us a lot better ac- cess so we’re able to identify and also return people’s property.” You can contact the KOMCPC about engraving at engraving@komcpc.com. If you’re interested in volunteering, call 604-717-3433. 66 Police take these calls seri- ously. If they have enough informa- tion they will send a cruiser JEREMY SALLY 1 (VV ia 4 = | HANNAH MYRBERG photo Langara grad and NPA city councillor George Affleck (foreground) attends a public hearing where a developer’s application to rezone a property in Marpole was approved unanimously. City approves rezone Developer proposes two towers, retail space, childcare centre in Marpole as part of city’s Cambie Corridor plan By HANNAH MYRBERG two new towers after Vancouver city council unanimously approved a developer’s rezoning application for a property in Marpole. Following a Jan. 21 public hearing at city hall, council voted in favour of Wesgroup Properties’ plan to develop a 28,000 sq. ft. property at 8175 Cambie St., the former site of a Petro-Canada gas station. The plan includes 368 condo units in 12- and 31-storey towers, 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and a 37-space child- care centre, to be built near the Marine Drive Canada Line station and Marine Gateway development. The developer also secured $2 mil- lion for a 4500 sq. ft. space that is ex- Ss" Vancouver will be the home of pected to become the home of Marpole Oakridge Family Place, which is still closed after it flooded in December. Tracey Moir of the Oakridge Langa- ra Area Residents group was the only speaker to voice opposition to the proj- ect at the hearing, while three others spoke in favour of it. “This undermines the Cambie Corri- dor,” Moir said of the development. The Cambie Corridor plan is part of city hall’s goal to create sustainable urban neighbourhoods. Marpole resident Janet Young raised questions about the development in a letter to city council. “This development brings around another round of change to our neigh- bourhood, and it is difficult to envisage what it will look like and how it will im- pact our lives,” she wrote.