Seemed like a good idea at the time....

Well, The community garden project has turned out to be a bit of a non starter.  There was so much initial positive response from the community, but as is often the case, finances and logistics  got in the way.   We probably could have justified the expenditures had the lot been given to us on a permanent or at least 2-3 year basis. Having it til only November at first didn't seem to be a bad deal but it's just not enough time to make it a sustainable enterprise. 

So.....

Thank you to everyone who sent messages of support and offers to help.  The outpouring of community spirit is so encouraging and will keep us going  to achieve the ultimate goal of revitalizing the King George corridor in south Newton between 62nd and 68th Avenues. 

We still envision creating The George Arts District. 

Where there's a will- there's a way and it's been clear from your calls and messages that this is what the community wants.

 No matter what neighbourhood they're from, patios and cafes  on the street are what people keep telling us they want! Really, REALLY want!

 Just remember Margaret Mead's famous quote:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 

What would happen if we shut down  a few blocks of The George for a street fair?

Gotta have kids involved in any festival or community  event!

Who doesn't love a farmer's market?

Farmers,  neighbourhood groups,  artisans, food producers all get  great exposure!

And what's a street festival without loads of music and dancing?

The Difference Between Surrey and Yogurt.

In the summer of 1986 when I first told my family and friends that I was thinking of moving from a heritage home in the Queen's Park area of New Westminster to a brand new house in Surrey, one of them  rolled her eyes and asked this....


 What's the difference between Surrey and Yogurt?*


  Anyone remember the answer?  It was a real dig at Surrey and came on the heals of that whole Surrey bashing  thing that was rampant at the time.
Richmond's  " Buying a house in Richmond means never having to say  'You're Surrey'"
   If you're of a certain age you'll know that  THAT line came from the movie Love Story ( Being in love means never having to say you're sorry)  haha  :((  So clever. Sigh.

Well, guess what folks? 
 Just like yogurt, Surrey actually HAS CULTURE!

Our Arts Centre in Bear Creek Park is an outstanding facility. I have visited the gallery with instructors from Emily Carr University of Art & Design  and fellow artists and they have commented on what a great space we have there.  I'll take that as an endorsement.

 So what's the problem?  Well, Surrey just doesn't have enough venues and entertainment options.
We need places where young people can go for a night out to hear live music and have fun.
Too many 20 something Surrey-ites are  choosing to pack up and make their home in Vancouver  cuz, 'nothing happens here'
 We have to change that.
One of   ReNewton's goals is to encourage an Arts District in the  dead centre of the city.
Newton.
Yes.
Newton.

Street Cafe  - Jazz Club
Who needs Vancouver when you could have this right here in  Newton the heart of Surrey- the smack-dab centrepoint of the city?

There's an area in south Newton  along the King George between 62nd and 70th Avenues that has many for lease spaces, empty lots and vacant  or under used buildings. What if we could create an Arts District  there? A walkable stretch  of 8 blocks where artists, musicians, young people can hang out, eat, drink , listen to music, shop, perform etc.  and NOT have to go to Vancouver for a night out.
Surrey needs to keep more entertainment dollars in its own backyard.

And, this is important...  Surrey needs to show young people from other areas of Metro Vancouver that yes, this IS where the future lives. Not just 'lives'..... but LIVES !!

The George Arts District might just be a way  to start.

 Let the city of Surrey know that you'd like to see a more vibrant dynamic cultural core in the heart of Surrey. That's right here in Newton folks. Midtown Surrey.  

Market Community Garden Info Update

Still waiting for official news re:  funding for the Market  Community Garden project

Turning this.....

into this!

 Stay tuned!

And in our dreams....... this too!  We can dream right?

From Vacant to Vibrant

Don't Miss Out on all the 

Market Community Garden news as  the project unfolds!

 Remember to  sign up to receive every new ReNewton blog plot in your inbox.


We're hoping to turn this..

into this....Bringing Community Together

Market Community Garden update

 The response from the community for the garden project has been overwhelming and so encouraging. Thank you for all the offers of help. What we will be doing next is setting a meeting date to plan the course of action. Send a message to hey-jude@telus.net to  find out more.


Here's a little video from the great people at Can You Dig It?  who help create  community gardens. Watch here
 We would LOVE to have them onboard!

The Market Community Garden - Let's Get Growing!

 ReNewton has been given a wonderful opportunity to create an organic community garden in the neighbourhood!

We're going to be  on pavement so need crates and containers like this.

  This has all happened very quickly but want to let everyone know  right away as permission was just finalized today.

  Earlier today the owner of the former Surrey Public Market site officially gave ReNewton permission  to use the paved  northwest area of the property for a community garden!
Get ready for ...

The Market Community Garden !

... at the corner of King George and 64th Avenue.

Here's where you come in....

We Need Help! Lots of it!  

Sponsors, volunteers, business services (insurance etc.) and donations from local groups, garden centres and of course we need planter boxes built for the  garden plots.

And then we need to allocate the plots to groups and individuals.

Whew!  So much to do- But it's all good!

Water may not be available on site ( we're hopeful that the city will be able to help with that) so we may need some sort of  large water tank which we hear has worked for other community gardens around the city. 

One community's garden project in bloom

  We'd love to have Sullivan Heights Secondary and Panorama Ridge school students to get involved by painting the garden crates and  containers. 

 Let's turn this into a big community  project for everyone!  

Stay tuned for more updates as they transpire. We'll be having a get-growing meeting soon.

 Please help spread the word !

Spring is here and we need to get planting!

Containers like this are an option but cedar boxes would be best.
Maybe our fabulous Surrey Firefighters could help with construction?

Here's the area where the Market Community Garden 
@ King George and 64th Ave. will go.
Lots of room for  raised gardens !

Springtime in Surrey

Took advantage of the sunny weather to go for a stroll through  pretty Hyland Creek Park, a lovely little  green space with a  salmon spawning creek in the South Newton area.

 There  are plans for a development just to the southeast of  this park  which  is unfortunate as  the woods are home to all sorts of wildlife.  The pheasants and raccoons  vanished  a few years ago  and the coyotes  and bunnies aren't as plentiful as they used to be. Sad. 

Still it's nice to have a wooded area nearby. So get outside and appreciate the beauty of nature!

Hyland Creek- Panorama/ Hyland
Surrey, BC

No words- Just Watch This. ReNewton's Goal in a Nutshell..

Bringing Community Together,.
One Move at a Time.

You Have to Watch This!

Councillor Hunt goes for Provincial Seat

Long Time Surrey city councillor Marvin Hunt  is Surrey Panorama's new Liberal candidate in the upcoming provincial election.
 This contest should prove very interesting.  If he wins the seat there'll be an opening on city council here in town. Currently Watts' Surrey First holds all the spots.
What will the future hold? Never a dull moment in politics!

Is it April Fools Day already?

 Despite  publicly stating that "Newton would not be home to any more  social  housing"  tonight we learn that  Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts appears to welcome Vision Quest into the already saturated  neighbourhood.
 The plan is to have Vision Quest move into the burned out  Hotel Bollywood, a shabby boarded up motel on the King George strip. There couldn't be a worse place to house vulnerable people than  at that location. This cannot be allowed to happen yet again in Newton.

Mayor Watts said  she wouldn't do this and  she needs to be held  accountable to all Surrey residents. The people in this part of Surrey have absorbed more than their share of similar type housing and organizations, and it has created an unbalanced and unhealthy  area along the King George corridor  in South Newton.

The people of South Surrey were listened to last month and managed to block a mega casino  development  in their community with the mayor casting the deciding vote. That 'no' vote  means  the gaming license held by Gateway stays in Newton.  And the slots at Bingo Country at King George and 71st Ave, which the mayor told us would be "temporary" will continue to operate and  tempt  the  large number  of already marginalized residents who live within a few blocks.

And now she wants to put another  recovery facility close by?

Please tell us that it's April Fools Day, because this has to be some sort of joke.

Watch the Global News  feature here.
Click here
 Update Thursday Feb 28
Mayor Watts gives statement saying  Vision Quest will not be going into the Hotel Bollywood.  Claims Vision Quest acted without her approval and consent.  Pretty sure we haven't heard the last of this. Surrey politics, very strange indeed.

Local Gems....

  A quick shout out to  a business who continue to provide the best service around! One of our local Newton gems is Pet Food 'n More in the Newton Village where today I had a nice chat with Raffi, a 32 year old Macaw parrot. What a beautiful bird! 

The staff at this store are so helpful and they always make time to  carry purchases to my car.  

 Plus, their prices  are  very reasonable.  Check them out!

Move over Flash Mob- It's Cash Mob!

 Cash Mobs are a great way  to support local businesses. People love  getting involved and business gets a big boost . Great way to put the focus on a  neighbourhood  restaurant, deli  or what have you, and have some fun while you're at it.
Check  out what one community did.
Cash Mob

Retrofitting Suburbia's Dunham-Jones @ SFU Surrey

Update: Last night  we heard Ellen Dunham-Jones speak at Simon Fraser University in  Surrey. It was exciting and encouraging to see what can be done to the aging suburbs with just a little vision, some forward thinking and  the willingness to allow change to come to the neighbourhood.

The condensed  TED Talks video link below gives an excellent summary of the potential of the suburbs. 

We need to let them grow up!

Original post:

For any resident, government official or business person interested in the future of the their community,  Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson is a must read. 

Ellen Dunham-Jones  will be giving a lecture  at  Simon Fraser University -Surrey Campus on the evening of Thursday Feb 7th 

SFU "Retrofitting Suburbia" Lecture info here

She will aslo be taking part in an all day symposium Beyond Downtown   at UBC on Friday Feb 8th.

 Have a look at  a  short TED Talks presentation  with Dunham-Jones and her unique take on what decades of suburban sprawl and short-sighted planning has meant for the suburbs. She addresses smart and in many cases easy and inexpensive ways to turn a place around.    Watch video here

Monday Morning Gob Smack- She Said What???

Woke up this morning to see Shelley Fralic's glowing report  in the Vancouver Sun on Surrey mayor Dianne Watts.

 Fralic writes that "Watts has cleaned up the grimy bits" and is "hell-bent on cleaning up the grungier parts of town.." 

Nearly sprayed coffee all over the kitchen windows. Didn't know whether to laugh out loud or cry.  

South Newton residents, especially those living near the King George corridor between 72nd & 60th, can only shake their heads at these pronouncements.  Despite well-timed promises for revitalization of the Newton downtown area  no action has been taken and well  friends, THIS is what greets drivers  at one of the busiest intersections in all of Surrey daily. And it's been like this for over a decade.  

If Watts  and Co. continue to neglect Newton- home to Surrey's largest population ( and growing) the result will be seen come next election.  And that's a crying shame, because  up until now, I have voted for her every time.

The Future Lives Here?

The decaying former Surrey Public Market   stands at one of the busiest intersections in town  King George & 64th Avenue.
70,000 drivers daily look at this and think "The Future Lives here??? "

Read  full Vancouver Sun piece here

Time for the Suburbs to Grow Up...

You have a night out planned. 

These are your options:

 A one stop complex  that offers restaurants and entertainment options including a  show theatre  but is located in a neighbouring community?

or .... an aging bingo hall ?

Quick-Where are you going to spend your money?

Bingo Country Surrey BC

Coast Hotel and Cascades Casino Langley BC

What do you think- did Bruce get it right? Ouch!

Click here for Bruce Allen's Reality Check re: Surrey Casino Jan 22

How about International Village for Newton?

Time to think outside the box and build something wonderful that ALL  of Surrey residents can feel good about!

What now for Downtown Newton?
Some thoughts...

Holland Park in Downtown Surrey is home to the Fusion Festival, a popular annual event that   thousands  of families enjoy every year.  Always a wonderful opportunity to showcase our city's amazingly diverse cultures and nationalities. 

 Last summer we attended  with 3 kids from Mexico who said the best thing by far was the delicious food! They  enjoyed the chicken satay with peanut sauce so much that I had to make my version of it for dinner  later that evening! Got everybody talking about how great it would be for Surrey and in particular Downtown Newton to showcase  our multi-culturalism  for more than  just a few weekends a year.  Newton  has the largest population in Surrey many of whom are immigrants bringing with them their own unique gifts and artistic skills.

Wouldn't it be great to see Downtown  Newton transformed into an International Village? Imagine the food!    We'd love to see a farmer's market  that caters to everyone's cultural heritage. 

Bringing cultures together is  what builds a strong community and contributes to

 healthy, safe and vibrant neighbourhoods. 

What do you think? 

Mother and son shopping at open air marketplace

International Village for Newton?

Casino Royale-Time to Shuffle the Deck and Deal

  This weekend Surrey city council  in a close vote  turned down the proposal to build a casino and entertainment complex in South Surrey.

It's a victory for South Surrey residents,  and there's an element of Nimbyism for sure.

 The  No vote has unfortunate consequences for South Newton where Gateway's current Bingo Country operates.
Several months ago council voted to allow slots at that facility on a "temporary" basis until  the new casino in South Surrey was built and the gaming license transferred. 

 At the time it was said by many that  "temporary" had a way of becoming permanent.
And guess what folks, it has.

 The  aging Newton facility will keep operating as it is, and  plans for a new retail complex, complete with Planet Organic as anchor tenant?   Well that's unlikely to happen any time soon if ever.

Newton deserves the same attention and consideration as those  whose wishes were granted late Friday night.

  The city of Surrey must get working with developers to revitalize the South Newton/King George corridor.  

Clearly a need exists for  arts, entertainment and convention facilities. And what better place than  South Newton, the heart of Surrey. It's a no-brainer.

  Compromises will be necessary. We can't have everything we ask for. 

  But the time has come for the suburbs to grow up. Literally and figuratively.

Casino Royale

Tonight Surrey city council hears the second night of  speakers for and against the proposed casino plans for south Surrey.
Whichever way the vote goes, it has an impact here in South Newton.  If the casino is approved for  south Surrey, it looks as though Bingo Country (at Hall Rd and King George ) will be gone (Gateway will be moving the license to the new complex).
That's good news.
 A new retail complex is needed and very much wanted by the booming population in the Hyland, Sullivan Heights and Panorama community.

If the casino proposal doesn't go through it means that  the bingo hall and the slots, which despite much protest from the community were allowed by council  on a "temporary basis" will stay.

It'll be interesting to see how this goes. Will council listen to the wishes of the south Surrey community and vote no, and if so, why didn't they listen to the voices of Newton residents over  the same issue. Time will tell if there are different rules for different areas of Surrey.

Creating inviting public places- Good design means creating a welcoming atmosphere.

 Came across this blog post from People for Public Spaces and had to post it.
It shows great examples of why cutting edge design often falls flat.
 People like friendly welcoming buildings and places, not concrete and 'artsy' design.
 Check it out.

 Where would you want to spend time visiting?

On Hiatus til 2013!