An application to remove 43.99 acres from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has raised the ire of a number of Aldergrove residents.
The property is located on the north side of the residential area of Aldergrove and faces on to 264 Street at 3250 - 264 Street. The acreage has laid fallow for decades and an old house near the front of the property was torn down more than 10 years ago.
The property is prone to flooding from Bertrand Creek and residential runoff water during the rainy seasons, although that has been remediated somewhat by recent drainage and storm water retention work conducted by Langley Township in that area.
The property is immediately south of the 1,220 acre Naval Radio Section (NRS) Aldergrove property owned by Canada Forces, which is not in the ALR. It is sandwiched by the NRS property and the existing residential area of Aldergrove.
In 2010 Dunton Group Investments Inc. applied to exclude this property from the ALR but the application was denied.
A new application for exclusion was submitted to Langley Township for consideration before it is considered by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). The application is in the names of Marjorie Eileen Butler, Charleen Dorothy Lowe, Natalie Marrianne Butler and Allan Robert Hayes, who have listed addresses in Summerland, Penticton and Kelowna.
This application, #53333, was originally advertised in February of 2013 and has recently been updated at the request of the ALC, and those wishing to express comments are asked to forward them to the Township of Langley before Nov. 15 of this year.
A petition opposing the exclusion application is currently circulating in the Aldergrove area, and is also available on-line.
In the on-line petition, Mary Sigalet cites a number of reasons for the opposition, saying the property “should be used strictly for farming purposes. We need to preserve the diminishing amount of farm land that is left and utilize it accordingly.”
The petition also cites concerns about impacts to Bertrand Creek, as well as “relocation of wildlife in the area, increased crime (which continues to be an ongoing problem) and changes to the surrounding environment would disrupt privacy and jeopardize day to day living for the existing residents.”
Sigalet adds, “There was a 40 year development plan of the downtown core introduced a few years ago which would increase density and population. This should be the immediate focus for future developments in Aldergrove, not diminishing precious agricultural land reserves. This property is not a part of the official Aldergrove Community plan.”