The site

EXPLORE THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Bowers District (formerly “Green Thumb Nursery”) provides a significant opportunity for the creation of a comprehensive, progressive, and complementary neighbourhood in the north of Nanaimo

lAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The City of Nanaimo and its partners would like to acknowledge that this site is located on
the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Snuneymuxw
First Nation and Snaw-naw-as (Nanoose) Nation.

the Plan area

The subject site is currently home to the Green Thumb Garden Centre. This 17.76-hectare (44 acres) site is bounded by Hammond Bay Road, Uplands Drive, and the Island Highway; and is ideally suited for comprehensive neighbourhood village development.

STILL BLOOMING

A History of Growth

The Green Thumb site has been in the Gerke family since 1959, when Gerhard and Gertrud drove out from Montreal with their two young children (and another on the way) in their trusty blue two-seater VW van. They arrived to find a forested site, but the Gerkes wasted no time in starting up their small nursery operation around a newly-built one-room home – using the VW as their one and only farm vehicle.

In the early years, the property was a place to buy eggs or raspberries and strawberries picked by the Gerke children. But, people could soon
purchase small plants at the Gerke farm stand, as Gerhard and Gertrud wasted no time in starting up their small nursery operation around a
newly-built one-room home.

In summer, the trusty van made an almost-daily trek to Long Lake for the family to fill barrels with water for their growing plants and for the family’s needs – with dry wells in the summer and no City water. The van was also used as a delivery vehicle, getting filled with plant material for Gerhard’s local landscaping jobs.

Farm neighbours helped clear areas of land for planting, and, by the early 1970s, much of the land had been transformed into the nursery operation that exists today. The garden centre moved from a table under a tree in the Gerke’s yard to its present location off Hammond Bay Road.

Today, the family often overhears people reminiscing about their days working on the property as a summer student, and about how their parents also got their first jobs here. The property has been a part of many people’s lives since the 1960s.

Gerhard vision for the property was founded on a desire to contribute to his community and help people find joy in their surroundings. This desire drives today’s vision for the future of the site: Bowers District is envisioned as a continuation of the work Gerhard and Gertrude Gerke began so long ago – bringing community together, honouring the land around us, and providing a place where people feel at home.

TODAY

The Gerke family’s vision is to see the spirit of Green Thumb live on in the Bowers District. This means a place that [a] brings community together; [b] honours and celebrates the land; and [c] provides a place where people feel at home.

TOMORROW

Bowers District is both a vibrant, walkable village and a distinct refuge from the wider city. Residents and visitors alike are drawn to the strong sense of place established by high standards for architecture, rich landscaping and abundant tree canopy, and network of greenways, pathways, and parks. Learn more about the neighbourhood.