B.C. gov’t to ban mega-mansions from farmland
VICTORIA — The B.C. government has introduced legislation to ban mega-mansions on agricultural farmland by overriding local zoning in cities like Richmond.
B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham’s bill introduced on Monday would restrict the maximum size of a home on agricultural land reserve property to 5,400 square feet.
That size is already the standard under ministry guidelines, but until now the province has allowed municipalities to set their own bylaws on the issue.
Richmond, where the problem of mansions on farmland is most acute, set in 2017 the maximum house size of 10,743 sq. ft. on agricultural land.
Popham told the legislature the changes were made because the public has told her government that it supports a much stronger approach to protecting farmland.
“The old government let wealthy speculators drive the price of farmland out of reach for young farmers and allowed some of our most valuable agricultural land to be damaged,” Popham said in a news release.
“We are protecting farmland in B.C. to ensure land is available now and for future generations of farmers, so people in British Columbia have a safe, secure supply of locally grown food on their tables for years to come.”
Larger homes could still be allowed if they receive an exemption from the agricultural land commission as necessary for farming, and municipalities would be allowed to restrict home sizes even further if they’re below the provincial maximum. Existing construction projects over the maximum size will be grandfathered if the legislation passes.
The issue has been a divisive one in the farming community, with some saying speculators are buying cheaper farmland to build large homes that are flipped for profit, while others say large homes are necessary to house the multi-generational families that are increasingly used to operate a farm.
The provincial legislation is a welcome move, said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
“It’s a good idea to have consistency throughout the province.”
But Richmond isn’t waiting on the province to act.
After the October election that saw two candidates in favour of restricting house sizes on farmland elected to council, the newly sworn in council plans to revisit the issue at a committee meeting Tuesday when council is expected to vote on a recommendation to reduce the maximum house size on farmland to 5,382 sq. ft.
“What we will have tomorrow will be commensurate with the provincial guidelines that they are introducing,” said Brodie, who had previously championed lowered restrictions.
The city’s recommendations are more restrictive than the province’s, Brodie noted.
The city is seeking to limit the maximum building height of homes to two storeys, the house footprint to 60 per cent of the total floor area, and the farm home plate to just 10,764 sq. ft.
Ben Dhiman of the Richmond Farmland Owners Association, which had previously fought against house size restrictions, said he can’t comment specifically on the provincial legislation because he hasn’t seen the details.
“We support any level of government that has farmers’ best interests in mind and supports farming and farmers,” said Dhiman.