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About Pacific Gardens
In September 2009, construction of our 25-unit apartment-style cohousing project was completed on a gorgeous 4.37 acre parcel of land in the University Village area of the City of Nanaimo, located in central Vancouver Island on the west coast of beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
There is a good mix of 1, 2, 3 and 3 bedroom + den units, which range in size from 711 square feet to 1550 square feet. Each unit opens onto the glass-roofed atrium, which leads to an extensive (8,000+ sq. ft.) Common House.
The Common House boasts a large kitchen and adjacent dining/activity hall with a children’s play area as well as other activity-based spaces such as a crafts room, music/meditation room, and conversation lounge. There are also an office, elevator, woodworking shop, laundry, office, guest rooms, and storage rooms.
The property has lots of space with tall trees, wildflowers, bees, butterflies, eagles and deer, a salmon-bearing stream and park to the south, a seasonal pond, and a westward view of Mount Benson. Vancouver Island has the longest growing season in Canada, and we have flourishing organic gardens on the site. Once an old farm, it still has numerous producing fruit trees.
Founding members of this community agreed to make this a ‘green’ project by adhering closely to LEED Guidelines to make the construction, occupation, and maintenance of this property as ecologically respectful as possible.
Our Mission
To establish a sustainable cohousing community in Nanaimo, which successfully embodies the principles of community, cooperation, consensus and respect.
Our Vision
Pacific Gardens is an inclusive community celebrating a connection to nature and social action in a sharing, caring and cooperative environment.
What’s in Our Common House…
The Common House is on three levels with a walkout patio and an upper deck. From the Common House there is a beautiful view of Mount Benson and summer sunsets. There is an elevator for easy access to all levels.
The main level has a large kitchen with a pantry, a dining room/meeting hall, children’s playroom, an office, an exercise room, a soundproof multi-purpose room, wheelchair-accessible washroom and a laundry room with multiple laundry facilities. The dining room leads to a large patio facing Mount Benson and the organic gardens.
The lower level has a large storage room with bicycle storage, private storage units, a workshop, and a recycling room. There is a washing area for gardeners to clean vegetables as well as a garden shed on site.
The upper level has two guestrooms, a washroom, a wet craft room, a multipurpose room and a conversation lounge leading to a deck with an amazing view of Mount Benson.
