The Century Group is firing back at questions raised about the viability of its farming plan for the Southlands.
A few weeks ago Delta council received a lengthy letter from Kathleen Zimmerman, a regional agrologist with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, offering a scathing assessment of the Century Group's proposed community-based farming district. The company is hoping to develop 20 per cent of the controversial Tsawwassen property with 950 housing units, while handing over 80 per cent of the site to Delta. Much of the land to be given to Delta would be used for soil-based farming, according to the development application, which proposes a multi-phased plan over 30 years.
Century Group last fall submitted a consultant's report explaining how the farm district would work, describing the proposed community farm types as well as governance and management structures. The farming would generally occur on a smaller scale, allowing a greater diversity of farming types.
The report notes the economic benefits of the farm district, covering 209 acres, for Delta and its residents include over $2.39 million per year in net revenue for farmers, approximately 26 full-time jobs per year created and over $233,000 per year in net revenue for the proposed governing nonprofit organization. Total net revenue for the 30-
year time period would be approximately $2.8 million for the governing organization after start-up costs. "This scenario successfully illustrates how such a community-based farming endeavor could be economically self-sufficient after only ten years of operation and serve as an innovative model for communitybased farming in Metro Vancouver and beyond," the report states.
In her letter, Zimmerman admits that ministry approval is not required because the Southlands is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve, however, she goes on to raise a number of questions about the report, saying, "The report does not include sufficient, reliable information on which to base this significant planning decision."
Among the concerns, said Zimmerman, is the report does not include enough details regarding soils, suitable crops, and drainage and irrigation improvements needed for the site.
She also questioned income calculations, the
cost of hedgerow planting and maintenance for Delta, as well as the idea the public will appreciate agriculture and become more involved with it by living adjacent to it, particularly small-scale, organic plots.
Southlands the Facts has been quick to highlight the letter in its campaign against the development, saying "numerous and substantial inaccuracies" were revealed.
In a statement of response, Southlands project manager Brad Semke noted Zimmerman did not contact Century Group or the Corporation of Delta to seek clarification on the key issues she wrote about.
On the drainage issue, he noted the report's authors indicated Century Group president Sean Hodgins requested they assume that drainage and irrigation needs would be resolved.
He said Hodgins offered to pay the necessary costs for irrigation and drainage enhancements for the first phase, but there was no mention in Zimmerman's letter.
He went on to say, "If Ms. Zimmerman had taken the time to talk with Century Group, she would have learned that Delta had already commissioned a separate study (which she references above) on the topic of drainage and irrigation.
"Further, she would have also discovered Century Group had already committed to working with Delta on establishing the needed infrastructure to address the critical need for irrigation and drainage on the Southlands site. Without extensive capital improvements, which Ms. Zimmerman from the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture references as $13 million, the Southlands will continue to consist of poor soils and be an economically unviable farm."
Semke also offered his own critical assessment of Zimmerman's conclusions regarding revenues of organic farming and hedgerow maintenance, He also disagreed with her view that residents wouldn't be interested in participating community farming.
