As Saanich looks at the always-contentious issue of removing a parcel of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), councillors are also trying to address how that process will work in the future — and who pays for it.
At last Monday's (July 15) council meeting, two separate items were brought forward: one to remove the Wildwood Outdoor Living Centre property on Elk Lake Drive from the ALR, and one to introduce new fees to process these types of applications.
The debate on these issues also brought up the thorny topic of whether land removed from the ALR should be somehow replaced with an equal amount of land.
"The dominant trend is negative," Ray Zimmerman of the Sea to Sea Greenbelt Society told councillors while displaying a map of the decrease in ALR land in Saanich over the years. "And it is up to council to reverse the trend."
That issue remained unanswered, with more motions on the subject expected.
Regarding the Elk Lake Drive property specifically, most councillors seemed to agree this parcel doesn't really qualify as farmland and should be removed from the ALR. It is currently the site of a garden centre and greenhouse.
Coun. Karen Harper called it the "exception to the rule" that ALR land should continue to be set aside for farming, saying "this is not agricultural land."
Council did receive communications from the Peninsula & Area Agricultural Commission, opposing the exclusion of the site from the ALR and pleading for the land to be used for container of vertical farming, or for greenhouses.
But the owner of the property argued it just would not make sense to try to make the area into farmland at this point.
"The property has not been in agricultural production in decades, and returning it to agricultural production would not be practical," property-owner Gord Nickel told councillors.
Nickel explained in an interview on Friday (July 19) that the area around the shop was once farmland and tulip fields, but it's now totally developed with hotels, churches and a community centre.
He argued that removing the parcel from the ALR and using it for a different purpose — likely a multi-use commercial and housing complex — makes sense in that neighbourhood and is consistent with Saanich's new Official Community Plan (OCP), as well as the Royal Oak Local Area Plan.
"It's not at its best and and most valuable use," Nickel said. "It could help the community a lot better in housing."
If this application is accepted, Nickel said he would like to move most of the Wildwood operation off-site and keep a small storefront at the property for retail sales, ideally on the ground floor of a new housing complex.
He acknowledged the exclusion of the property would likely raise its value and benefit him financially, but said it still makes sense for him and for the community.
Having land in the ALR offers tax breaks, and some councillors said property owners seeking exclusion should pay this back, but Nickel said he is already paying $84,000 per year, close to commercial tax rates.
In the end, councillors did vote to send the matter to a public hearing, with only Coun. Nathalie Chambers voting no and holding firm to the idea that no matter what, land should not be removed from the ALR.
There was more agreement on the idea that applicants for ALR exclusion should pony up the money for the district to shepherd applications through the process.
It used to be that people like Nickel who wanted to try to get their property out of the ALR would apply directly with the Agricultural Land Commission.
But that changed and starting in 2020 when the commission decided applications from private property owners would need to first go to the district council for support, and then the district would submit the application on the property owner's behalf. This process also involves holding a public hearing, which must be publicly advertised.
This all costs money — almost $4,000 according to a district staff report. Councillors voted unanimously to charge applicants for this in the future.
