The city and nearby homeowners may not like it but have to put up with this scene at a Ladner farm.
Already at odds with Delta, Hothi Farms, bounded by Arthur Drive and 44 Avenue, gets to store its farm equipment out in the open as it sees fit. That’s thanks to a ruling by the Farm Industry Review Board.
Over a year ago, the board rejected a complaint from the city about “excessive and unsightly storage of vehicles, equipment, parts, scrap metal and truck trailers.” The complaint also alleged “improper storage of potatoes in makeshift containers which are also unsightly and potentially unsafe.” Delta also stated that it “strongly supports agriculture” but the activities on Hothi Farms “negatively impacted the public’s use of Hawthorne Grove Park along with the use and enjoyment of the neighbouring residents’ properties.”
In its submission, Hothi Farms noted it experienced many difficulties in establishing operations in its new location. In 2014, those difficulties included establishing sufficient storage capacity for its crop due to disputes with Delta over a building permit. Most of its major equipment had to stay in the truck trailers pending construction of additional storage capacity.
Delta, though, also raised concerns about “non-farm use equipment.”
The review board’s ruling notes the complaint about aesthetics may have shown the activities of the farm are an “eyesore” but does not fall in the definition of “other disturbance” which the board can rule on, such as odour, noise, dust or other disturbance results from a normal farm practice.
