Delta council recently agreed to send a stalled application to build another 60 townhouse units at Tsawwassen Springs back for a second public hearing.
Following a public hearing in 2017, council granted preliminary approval for the application to build the townhouses, a tennis/pickleball court and other amenities at a 2.55-hectare (6.3-acre) site, which is in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) but was not actively farmed.
The development plan included splitting a property on Springs Boulevard, one having the townhouses, while the other would have been consolidated with the golf course.
The lot with the new homes would be excluded from the ALR, while the other lot would have received non-farm use status, both requiring Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) approval.
The requests were referred to the ALC but the commission only approved the non-farm use application, denying the ALR exclusion.
The application has been revised but must still get ALC approval. Due to changes to the Agricultural Land Commission Act, before the updated application is submitted, a public hearing must be held.
A Delta civic report notes that staff continue to support the proposed ALR exclusion as agrologist reports indicated that the site is unsuitable for soil-based agricultural uses.
Under the original application the owner proposed a voluntary contribution for agricultural capital works in the amount of $500,000 to be used toward drainage and irrigation improvements. The owner has since increased that amount to $1 million. The proposal includes directing the funds to the city who would consult with the Delta Farmers’ Institute as to how to use the funds to benefit agriculture.
Also, as part of the ALR exclusion, the owner intends to apply to the ALC to include into the ALR a 2.6 hectare (6.4 acre) property in Deroche, B.C.
The owner is also proposing to change the use of the outdoor tennis/pickleball space to a grass field and sports court with basketball hoops.
A date for the public hearing has not been set yet.
