On Wednesday Oct. 25, the City of Nanaimo held an open house about the future of the Five Acres Farm at 933 Park Ave. The property was purchased by the city in 2019 to preserve the farm’s growing areas and wetland, as well as build affordable housing on the section where an old farmhouse and a handful of heritage apple trees now stand.
Participants were given a sticker to post on one of four options showing where affordable housing could be built. Options ranged from housing on one to two acres, with a fifth option that didn’t build any housing on the property. An overwhelming number of participants posted their stickers on the fifth housing-free option.