Century Group president Sean Hodgins is disappointed but not surprised what's coming out of the Tsawwassen Area Plan process.

Tasked with updating the area plan, which is almost 20 years old, the area plan committee's most controversial subject has been the 538-acre Southlands, zoned agricultural but no longer in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

At the Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee's meeting last week, municipal planner Barry Konkin told members the recommendation by staff is for the committee to maintain the current agricultural designation.

In an interview following the meeting, Hodgins, who didn't attend Thursday's meeting, nor talk to the committee or staff about his property, said he expected staff to come up with the recommendation.

"My question, I would think, would be the best question the committee would ask is what is the best outcome for this land and how do we develop a plan that gets there? That hasn't happened," said Hodgins.

The recommendation comes on the heels of an Ipsos Reid mail-out survey for the municipality. That survey found 61.4 per cent of respondents want no change to existing land use policy for the Southlands, while 37.6 per cent support some limited development.

Staff had recommended to council the committee "incorporate" the survey results into the new area plan, however, Delta council instead elected to direct the committee to "consider" the results as part of all the information gathered.

Hodgins said it's no surprise staff would continue to stick with its original recommendation, but if council eventually decided to retain the status quo it would not be an ideal option for the community or Delta as a whole.

Coun. Heather King said at last week's meeting the community has made it clear what it wants and doesn't want.

"We were mandated to listen to the community. We heard the community, so let's produce a draft report that reflects what a majority of the community has said."

King said it would be a good idea for someone from the community to step forward and ask the property owner, "Let's work out how it can be farmed and how it can be profitable, and maybe something can be worked out."

Committee member Helen Kettle, though, had several concerns about how the survey results were gathered and presented. She also complained the committee never had a full discussion on the Southlands.

Hoping the door won't be completely closed to having a discussion on what it would take to make the Southlands farmable, Hodgins said he had his own telephone survey of 400 households conducted last week, using the same questions that were in the municipal survey. His survey found there was an almost even split of support and opposition to allowing some development.

"We're now 16 months from a municipal election. Do they (council) want the Southlands simmering out there as an issue for further discussion, or put it to bed in some way? The reality is, without any disrespect to any of the people on the committee or to mayor and council or staff, thinking that you designate it status quo and status quo will stay the actual result, it's not true," he said.

"Quite honestly, I wouldn't know what to do if the assumed status quo is placed on the property. I'm somewhat discouraged. I really don't know what that means and I'm really going to have to reconsider our long-term ownership. Do we continue to hold on to a piece of property that costs us this much to own and taken up so much of my time to come up with a solution?"

After an extensive process, the Century Group last year submitted an official community plan amendment application to develop the Southlands with 1,900 homes.

Aimed at increasing the variety of the housing stock in Delta, the higher density housing would be built on one-third of the site using concepts of new urbanism. The proposal also includes 42 per cent (about 200 acres) handed over to Delta for urban agriculture.

Council returned the application, citing the land being in Metro Vancouver's Green Zone and that the regional district still hasn't completed a new Livable Region Plan.

The area plan committee has agreed to have two more meetings (Aug. 17 and 19) before it gives a final report to council at the end of the month. Members agreed at last week's meeting the next one should focus on the Southlands.