Metro calls on province to limit farmland house sizes

Metro Vancouver has recommended that the province restrict house sizes and residential footprints on agricultural land, in an effort to protect the region’s dwindling supply of farm land.

The regional district has drafted a list of guiding principles and priority actions that, pending board of directors approval, will be sent to an advisory committee that is looking at how to revitalize the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and Agricultural Land Commission. The committee is receiving feedback until April 30.

“I’m quite happy with the report because they’ve really put the onus where it belongs — on the province,” said Harold Steves, a Richmond city councillor who is a director on the board and one of the founders of the ALR.

Limiting house sizes and residential footprints on farm land has been an ongoing concern in the Lower Mainland — particularly in Richmond, where last month council spent hours debating whether to further restrict house sizes.

Steves said leaving each municipality to put restrictions on the size of homes and footprints leads to complicated debate and inconsistent policies.

“I think it’s the first problem the province should be dealing with,” Steves said. “If a firm ALR rule is put in, it will save us a lot of grief at the local government level.”

The Metro recommendation, that has been made twice before, is to enact provincial regulations that put restrictions on the “home plate,” which is the portion of a lot that includes the principal and any other residences, along with residential facilities. The restrictions would address house size, residential footprint location and size “to discourage the use of agricultural land for residential and commercial purposes.”

Metro’s report also suggests reforming the farm property tax policy to adjust the method for valuing agricultural land that is not used for farming, so that nonfarm residential and commercial activities on ALR are paying similar taxes to those in urban areas.

“That loophole has to be fixed as well,” Steves said.

The recommendations will go before Metro’s board on April 27.