Delta council earlier this month endorsed a request from the owners of a farm in the 4400-block of 88th Street to construct an additional farmhouse that would enable the next family generation to live there.
Located in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the property currently contains a farmhouse on the farm home plate and is occupied by the owner,s who have lived there for over 30 years operating the farm.
The application, which has gone to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) for approval, would see the construction a new single-storey additional farmhouse with a gross floor area of 1 ,789-square-feet at the northeast corner of the plate.
That additional house would be occupied by the current owners of the property, David and Coleen Terpsma, to allow the current house to be occupied by their daughter, who also wants to actively farm the property with the parents. The plan is the eventual transition to the daughter.
The application was submitted earlier this year, prior to adoption of Delta’s A1 Zone updates which removed eligibility for an additional farmhouse for retired persons. Delta’s bylaw updates were made in order for the zoning to be consistent with new ALC’s regulations.
A report to council notes that under the A1 Zone, an additional farmhouse is only permitted if the net benefit of the additional house is supported by a report prepared by a professional agrologist and the written approval of the ALC.
The zone allows for an additional farmhouse with a maximum floor area of 1,938-square-feet on lots 20 acres or less, so the proposed additional house floor area is compliant, the report adds.
The ALR regulations allows additional residences up to 969-square-feet for parcels less than 99 acres without requiring ALC approval. However, since the proposed additional house would be bigger, the owners are required to obtain ALC approval for a non-adhering residential use.
Terpsma Farms Ltd is a former three-generation dairy farm, which now produces beef and dairy cattle as well as round hay bales.
The additional house will allow the farm owners daughter to be always on-site to care for the livestock and the request is reasonable from a health and safety perspective, an agrologist report notes.
During council’s discussion on the application. Coun. Alicia Guichon said she hopes the ALC will see the need to support generational farming, noting it would be difficult to live off the farm and handle the work which is very much 24/7.
“It goes to the ALC for their decision, but this is the type of exception that I hope they can look into and see the need…I think it’s a big step back for the future of farming if we don’t see applications like this being put through,” said Guichon.
