Vernon councillor alarmed over 'cavalier' attitude over agricultural land

By Charlotte Helston Infotel.ca January 25, 2016 - 8:00 PM

VERNON - A Vernon councillor is concerned her colleagues are letting the preservation of agricultural land fall by the wayside. A majority of council voted to send a letter to the Agricultural Land Commission recommending a piece of property at 15 Street and Pottery Road be removed from the land reserve to be used for housing development. “I think at one point we’re going to maybe wake up and say we have no land for (agriculture uses),” Coun. Juliette Cunningham said. She worried the decision sets a precedent for future applications, and said council should not be ‘so cavalier of disposing of our agricultural lands.’Council decided in a split 5-2 vote to support taking the land out of the reserve largely because of a need for more affordable housing in the city and because the land is of limited agricultural value. The soil is reported to be type 2, meaning it has moderate limitations that restrict the range of crops. “To me it looks like a natural progression of the community in that area,” Coun. Brian Quiring said, noting it is close to schools, the growing Polson Place Mall and other services. “I think it is one of those situations it does make sense to support development on that property… It’s a small enough piece we can justify the land use.” Coun. Catherine Lord pointed out much of the city’s inventory of land available for housing developments is in the hillside area, including the Predator Ridge neighbourhood, which is typically more expensive. According to a housing assessment, the average-income household in Vernon cannot afford a single family home in most neighbourhoods, pointing to a need for more apartments, townhouses and duplexes. “This is a largely unusable parcel of land agriculturally, but it can provide a number of families with affordable housing,” Coun. Scott Anderson said. The application will now go back to the Agricultural Land Commission, which has the final say on whether it will be approved.
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Vernon council split over developing agricultural land
by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Jan 26, 2016 at 6:00 AM
There is a distinct split among Vernon politicians over a proposed development. A majority of council decided Monday to go against a staff recommendation and send an application for Agricultural Land Reserve exclusion to the Agricultural Land Commission for consideration. “I’m discouraged we are not considering the preservation of farm land,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham, who along with Coun. Bob Spiers, voted against supporting the application. The 3.8 hectares is located at 15th Street and Pottery Road and the owner is proposing to construct residential lots. “I’m not in favour of gobbling up ARL land but I don’t see a lot of farming value on that corner,” said Coun. Brian Quiring, adding the property is close to shopping, schools and services. “It’s a natural progression of the community. It’s smart growth.” Staff opposed supporting the ALR exclusion application because it goes against the official community plan and the amount of land already existing in Vernon for housing. Coun. Scott Anderson was not moved by administration’s argument. “The OCP is a guide more than something chiselled in granite,” he said. “The only thing I’ve seen growing on that land is (election) campaign signs.” Cunningham made one last pitch to keep the application from going to the ALC. “When you look at climate change, there’s the possibility of growing and doing other things on that property,” she said. A motion not to support the application died in 4-3 vote and that ultimately led to a successful motion to back the application. Anderson does not believe developing the site will hinder the community’s ability to feed itself in the future. “Civilization does not hinge on this parcel of land,” he said. Cunningham, though, suggests that a precedent has been set. “It opens the door for everyone to come and do the same thing,” she said of getting a city endorsement to remove land from the ALR.
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ALC Ruling (To Deny) July 11, 2016:
http://www.alc.gov.bc.ca/assets/alc/assets/applications-and-decisions/search-for-applications-and-decisions/2016-decision-minutes/54309d1.pdf