The final build-out of the Tsawwassen Springs development still must clear a few more hurdles before construction can begin.
Last December following a public hearing, council granted preliminary approval of another application by the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club to build 60 more townhouse units at 4800 and 5133 Springs Blvd.
The proposal was then forwarded to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) which must give its blessing. The vacant site is within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) but was not actively farmed.
A Delta planning department report notes, “Staff continue to support the proposed ALR exclusion application as the agrologist reports have indicated that the subject site is unsuitable for soil-based agricultural uses.”
The vacant land to be excluded from the ALR comprises 1.82 hectares (4.5 acres).
It remains to be seen if the ALC will approve the proposal as a previous application, which had also been granted preliminary approval by council in 2017, was rejected by the commission.
That rejection prompted the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club to file a petition, under the Judicial Review Procedure Act, against the commission in B.C. Supreme Court. That case has yet to be heard, though.
At the last public hearing, applicant Ron Toigo explained the revisions in his latest proposal, saying they should satisfy the ALC. Those include an offer to place several acres of farmland in Mission, which is not in the ALR, into the farm reserve. The land to be included is 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres).
The Delta report also notes an assessment concluded that most of the area to be added to the ALR is well-suited for a wide range of agricultural uses, with the exception of a small forested area where steep slope gradients limit agricultural use.
Under the first application, the owner proposed a voluntary contribution for agricultural capital works in the amount of $500,000 to be used towards drainage and irrigation improvements. The owner has since increased that amount to $1 million. The latest 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.
Once the ALC issues its decision, that report will come back to council. If the decision is favourable, only then can council consider forwarding the application to Metro Vancouver for a Regional Growth Strategy amendment and sewage area extension.
Once Metro’s approval is granted, the application can head back to council for final consideration and adoption, as well as issuance of a development permit and development variance permit. A building permit is then the last application to be issued.
