An application to build a cold storage and food processing facility on farm site adjacent to Burns Bog in East Delta will be discussed at a public hearing this Tuesday, Jan. 24.
The meeting at Delta Municipal Hall will be another opportunity for residents to give their input on the Delta Fresh application to develop the two properties adjacent to the Highway 91 interchange by 104th Street into the major industrial use.
Comprising six hectares (15 acres), the site is zoned agricultural, but was pulled out of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) decades ago. It is not being farmed.
The application proposes one building with a total floor area of approximately 293,500-square-feet. Most of the floor space would be at the ground level.
The portion of the site covered by the building would be approximately 45 percent of the total area.
Although not in the ALR, the Official Community Plan designation for the site is intended for general and intensive agricultural uses.
Considering the unique nature of the proposal, a new Agriculture Product Management Zone has been established and is to be applied to the subject properties, according to planning staff.
The cold storage warehouse and processing facility would be for fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
The site is surrounded by farm properties in the ALR as well as Burns Bog, with a golf course across the street.
Council in May 2022 granted preliminary approval to send the application to a public hearing, however, a number of conditions had to be first met.
Delta’s planning department notes that the public hearing agenda will include a memorandum that outlines how the applicant addressed the items that were required to be completed prior to public hearing.
Tuesday’s public hearing begins at 4 p.m. and residents can also watch and participate via Zoom.
