Agassiz to allow more homes on farmland

Photo by: Province of British Columbia

It’s official. The District of Kent has approved the creation of a new type of residential zone that will allow more houses on farmland, without impacting the ALR. The Current reported on the district’s idea to allow ALR-exempt lots to subdivide into “estate-sized” single-family homes in September, after one property on Golf Road asked to build three homes on a 1.5-acre lot. The hope would be that subdivisions like this could allow more density to move downtown by creating larger lots elsewhere.

During a public hearing in early September, council heard from a three-person petition against the proposal and the lawyer of a neighbour who worried more homes could reduce groundwater for existing properties with wells. However, several others wrote in supporting the proposal—one woman said it was a “prudent use of land that is largely filled with lawns.” Kent council has now voted in favour of the new zone, which will allow the Golf Road property to be subdivided into three lots and pave the way for similar developments.