MK Delta Lands Group is holding a public open house next week on its proposal for an industrial park on land adjacent to Burns Bog.
Company president Joanne Barnett recently provided civic politicians with an update on the proposal for a nine-lot industrial park on the 62-hectare (155-acre) property near the junction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road and Highway 91.
Barnett told Delta council the site is ideally located for logistics or distribution centres due to its proximity to Deltaport and Fraser Surrey Docks, Tilbury industrial area, the CN Rail terminal, Vancouver International Airport and the U.S. border.
The proposal includes 2.2 million square feet of industrial floor space to be constructed over nine years.
Barnett said the development would be worth more than $360 million and once completed would generate $2.5 billion in direct economic benefits, including significant job creation during construction and permanent positions.
The agriculturallyzoned parcel is one of several owned by the company adjacent to the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area. Barnett
said the company was told that due to the soil conditions, the only viable agricultural option would be a cranberry farm.
Coun. Ian Paton said he doesn't know of the site ever being farmed and added that it is a mystery why it was included in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
As part of the proposal, MK Delta Lands is offering to transfer three other nearby parcels totaling 131 hectares (328 acres) to Delta for inclusion in the conservancy area and is also offering millions for agricultural and highway improvements.
MK Delta Lands had been working on a major proposal for a property on the east side of Highway 91 that included over 1,000 housing units as well as a commercial area. However, that proposal faced significant opposition in the community and was scaled back twice before the company asked Delta to put the application on hold to consider the industrial one.
The Burns Bog Conservation Society is voicing concerns over the new proposal.
The society names it as one of several industrial developments threatening "the critical habitats of the Fraser River Delta Ramsar Site."
The plans have also garnered international attention. International Peatland Society president Björn Hånell has expressed concerns over the effect of industrial development near the bog.
The International Peatland Society is an international organization that promotes responsible management and wise use of peatlands and peat.
In 2012, Burns Bog was declared a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
A public information meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Delta Town Country Inn in Ladner. The open house-style meeting runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Barnett said the company would also look into scheduling a second session in North Delta.
