A quiet oasis tucked behind buildings on the cusp of the downtown core has been planted by a group that hopes it will be the catalyst that creates a “food eco district” in Victoria.
A partnership, including building owner Fort Realty, Oughtred Coffee & Tea and the Food Eco District Society, has established a courtyard — Fort Common — behind businesses at the corner of Fort and Blanshard streets that comes with bistro tables and chairs, trees, lights and the first of four mobile culinary gardens as the first step in establishing the district.
“It was an idea inspired by Portland, which has eco districts, regions committed to green business practices and urban gardens,” said Jill Doucette of Synergy Enterprises and director of the Food Eco District Society.
“We wanted to do that same thing here but focused on food, celebrating the culinary awesomeness of Victoria,” she said. “We will bring in sustainable practices, green economic strategies with the idea of taking this district with fantastic restaurants and turning it into an eco-food hub.”
The partnership has transformed a parking lot, creating a dining area, open space, a white wall should there be a call for movie nights, and an outdoor planter garden filled with herbs to be used by the restaurants that surround the space — Be Love, La Taquisa and Chorizo & Co.
There is just the one garden, but three others are being constructed for the space and will be planted with the herbs, flowers and vegetables requested by the restaurants. When completed, the gardens should cover about 100 square feet, the size of one of the parking stalls.
“We feel this initiative supports not only local food systems but also the wealth of creative restaurants and food entries we have in the city,” said Jayne Bradbury, of Fort Realty.
Fort Realty bought into the plan to establish a beachhead for the society and turned what had been a revenue-producing parking lot into the courtyard, which opens to the public from a gate on Blanshard Street.
The gate is usually open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays so people can use the space for a break or dining spot during the day.
“We see this as a third space, it’s neither home nor work, where you can congregate and enjoy a semi-public space, spend time outside the office or the house and add to the vibrant fabric of downtown Victoria,” she said. “We feel we are a transitional area between commerce and residential.”
Doucette said the Fort Common project is the first step in establishing the district. Her group is working on an area plan “to identify other areas within these blocks that can become garden space and grow food for local restaurants,” she said.
They have their eye on establishing the district over a six-block area between downtown and Cook Street Village.
JP Oughtred, owner of Oughtred Coffee & Tea, which offered materials to construct the planter gardens, said he was drawn to the idea to build the community and establish an attraction at the Fort Common.
“I believe the idea is to have events in the future, possibly movie nights and get the community engaged in the space,” he said. “It could be almost a tourist attraction.”
