An empty Raleigh lot awaits development. But in the meantime, community blooms there.

In the early months of Raleigh’s pandemic, a downtown field sat in construction limbo until a casual gardener tossed a handful of sunflower seeds into the dirt, hoping they’d grow some happiness.

Those first seeds, according to Martin Street gardening lore, came from Alex Little, one of the owners of Berkeley Cafe.

His watering hole, a beloved Raleigh fixture, sits alongside the lot where a new skyscraper is planned — perhaps 40 stories tall if zoning is granted.

But in the meantime, Little’s first attempt at brightening the empty lot inspired waves of green thumbs, to the point that a row of zinnias now lines the chain-link fence stretching down to Dawson Street.

Catching eyes and appetites

Bees buzz around tall sunflowers. Cantaloupes fatten in the downtown sun. Chard, tomatoes and corn make a leafy refuge on an acre waiting for construction.

The handful of volunteers manning the spot call it “Berkeley Common,” and as intended, it catches the eyes and appetite of passers-by.

“This is going to be a 30-story building at some point,” said Mike Forno, one of the growers. “We just want to make it a beautiful place. We made a little room inside the corn for when we want to hide out.”

The Berkeley works the veggies onto the menu, and more fresh goods are free for all takers on a table out front. More goes to Carroll’s Kitchen a few blocks east.

The whole idea was to make use of a unused space, otherwise just a fenced-in blank spot. Berkeley provides the water. And though they’re technically squatting, there’s nothing risky going on besides hot peppers.

“There’s just so much conversation happening,” Forno said. “People talking.”

Whatever comes next, it’s built on kind Raleigh roots.

This story is part of our regular “On the Bright Side” feature. Got a suggestion for a story that will bring a smile to our readers? E-mail Josh Shaffer at jshaffer@newsobserver.com.