Second Land Covenant Considered

Posted on 5/31/2016 6:01 AM by Ron Manz 107.5 KISSFM
For the second time in recent weeks, the District of Coldstream is entertaining using a covenant to ensure agricultural land in the municipality remains that way in perpetuity. The owner of property in the 10-thousand block of Coldstream Creek Road wants to take one piece of his land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve that has a house on it, and replace it with another piece he has now that is not in it, but has been planted with cherries using a covenant to guarantee it remains agricultural. Mayor Jim Garlick says council approves of the plan. "So we are saying if there is a large piece of land there and the potential purchaser says they want it for agriculture only and that's what they have already started planting for, then we are saying that we would like to see that large piece used entirely for agriculture." Garlick says the buyer of the proposed lands is in total agreement. "They see Coldstream as a lower cost area to start up agriculture compared to Kelowna and Lake Country where they have other operations at this time. They would like to keep it only for that purpose because they have homes elsewhere." The proposed purchaser of the land in question is from Kelowna and does not want to live there, but only use it for their cherry operation.