Agricultural Advisory Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Virtual Meeting - Teams
Members Present
  • Domenic Rampone
  • John Janmaat
  • Yvonne Herbison
Members Absent
  • Jeff Ricketts (Alternate)
  • Keith Duhaime
  • Kevin Daniels (Alternate)
  • Pete Spencer
Staff Present
  • Legislative Coordinator (Confidential), Arlene McClelland
  • eSCRIBE Admin
  • Aura Rose

The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:18  p.m.

Opening remarks by the Chair regarding conduct of the meeting were read.

Reviewed the criteria as the committee is asked to use.

Auroa, questions about minutes. OCP Presentation, discussed dfirt three sections but not the 4th where they voted against or support.  The whole piece excluded from the minutes.

Staff:

- may be confused with zoning bylaws which was at the last meeting. Cleared up her confusion.

Dom

Aura

Carried

  • ​THAT the Minutes of the May 13, 2021 Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting be adopted.



    Carried

Staff:

- Displayed a PowerPoint Presentation summarizing the application.

- Responded to questions from the Committee.

Members

Asked how much square footage there is, house is under 500 sq meters maximum, around 4,000 sq ft. under 200 square meters.  

Size of their actual residence. Single family residents is maybe 3 or 40000 sq ft. 

Spoke to comments from BC Ministry of Agr. - they commented a number higher than what is being proposed.  Staff will amend this, land commissions portal the applicants have already amended.

Staff noted - converting 189 sq meters, 2040 sq ft per level into a dwelling.

Confirmed that the city could put a restrictive covenant to limit any potential residence in the future.

RC would be on title or current applicant?  Staff noted it will go on title and carries with the land.

Within the application ALC can only approve secondary residents for farm help.  Would only be valid for farm help or family members on the property.

Andrea and David McFadden, Applicant (5 min) 4380 Takla Road

-  the basis of application currently we are living with daughter and son in law and baby in family home.  our farm have been operating in agri tourism for a number of years.  we changed to e-commerce operation due to covid.  participated by last fires in 2017.  we were to dependent on foot traffic. currently we did look at option of modular home but the building now without retail now is larger than what we need to process the crop.  putting a secondary suite on top of downstairs building does not take nay more land out of the ALR, also one level as it is better for us we are aging.

confirm on ALC application with square footage was incorrect, the building is 2040 sq ft per floor.

Available to questions.

Q - how big is house you live in with family,

Applicant Answer: about 4000 sq feet.

Q - anymore employees would be needed for your farm?

A - no need for other employees to live on the farm.

Q - house is 4000 sq ft, total footprint

A- about 1200 sq ft per floor.

Q - asked if willing to have restrictive covenant of title.

A- not really an issue, we did consider, if we sold it, if they wanted to reinstate onsite operation. what we are suggesting they could easily put back residence to that. All our backgrounds are in farming, having experienced number of changes to agricultural land act, hard to know changes that will occur in the future.  if covenant is required we would be acceptable to that.  has to be a mechanism to be able  to be reviewed to ensure it is still applicable to the Act itself. 

A - basement could be another living space, spoke to city planner Birte, too big to be made into a suite and would not qualify.  It

Staff confirmed the basement is too large to be a legal suite. 

Staff:

- none

Support or not

M - Yvonne - support

S - Domenic

CARRIED.

Discussion

Aura great use of space, outside of what is normal, like that they do not take naymore agricultural land. would like to see RC would recommend that. they are placed on property and can be reviewed if things change down the road.  No issue with thiis.  great solution.  can't put another form of accommodation on the property.  if top floor back to retail space another ball game.

Dom - glad to see how they are using their space on their farm.  they are dedciated to agriculture.  Can only approve if RC is placed on it.  Like the idea but would like restrictive covenant.  

Yvonne - concur good use of land, in support of a covenant.  

Anecdotal Comments

- LIKE THAT THIS IS CONSERVIKNG LAND AND USING BUILIDNG

CONCERNS UNDER NEW OWNERHSOP AT FUTURE DATE OWNER MAY ADD ANOTHER RESIDENCE, WANT A RESTRICE COVENTN TIN PLACE FOR THAT SORT OF THING OF OCCURING..

  • THAT the Agricultural Advisory Committee recommend to Council that Application No. A21-0006 for the non-adhering residential use permit for the conversion of an existing accessory building into a secondary dwelling for farm help, located at 4380 Takla Road, Kelowna, B.C., be supported.



    Carried

Staff advised that any Restrictive Covenant can be discharged from the title at discretion of staff if something changes.

Staff:

- Displayed a PowerPoint Presentation summarizing the application.

- Responded to questions from the Committee.

Q - is this the property we saw a few years ago that wanted french drains?

A - there is ongoing talks with property to the north as well, did not come to committee but staff working on this.

John - property with water has already been filled.  The application was pulled which was surprising as it was initially supported.

Staff - clarified that staff does not have all answers, not sure why application was pulled at ALC level.  If it was approved under soil permit or notification with ALC, this is a compliance.  

The application is for more work to be done.  works were haulted and this application is proposing a greater amount of fill.

Q - new amoutn of fill, will that change drainage for neighbouring properties?  has that study been done?

Staff - there are drainage concerns in this whole area.  staff looking at drainage controls and to property to the north.  Property owenrs to the north speaking wilth staff and alc to do a fill on north property., so would be coordinated efforts. 

Slow control driainage out of this area is being worked on to not push water onto neighbouring properties.  

Q- where is fill coming from?

Staff - fill will be clean fill and not waste, do not control where it's coming from but regulations to ensure it is clean fill.  list of prohitbited products. if inappropriate fill it will have to be removed.

Q - test results 

Notice of intent and have to apply with soil composition.

Aura asked and staff confirmed they put fill on property without approval.  

this is enroute of coming into compliance not stated if a bylaw infraction, 

aura - this is partly compliance and partly they still want to put down more fill.  total amount of fill includes the fill already put on the property 

Staff - yes.

Aura - needing 3 years to do that, starting from now?  Correct, 3 years from when they had approvals.

Aura - can put non farm use for a certain timeframe.  

Staff followed up with ALC staff and they would not accept applications with restricted times.  in general timelines are not put into these applications.

Aura - non farm use strictly for fill?  Staff noted it is only for the fill.

Yvonne - if they put in a drain they'd have to come back to AAC?  

Staff no not necessarily, 

Yvonne - why no one is here for this application?  

Staff cannot comment on applicant themselves, they are not in attendance. not required they attend but recommended that they do attend.

Yvonne - Ministry of Env and City, do not have any agriculture adivce on this do we?

Staff noted MOE and staff are coming to an agreement to allow some fill in  this area under drainage controls, but just talk with staff, and understanding on this.  Staff noted this is the route to come into compliance.  Hopefully the land owner will go through the aprpopaate channels for approval.

Domenic - Requesting 2000 cubic meters of ill which includes fill is already there. How much new fill? Not sure what we are approving here?  

Staff does not have the break down of fill. 

Staff - cannot provide any further information, applicant would be best to answer what there work plan is. 

Dom - cannot support not knowing how much fill being put on there.

Staff safe to assume up to 2000 cubic meters on this as the way the application has been put forward.

Chair - This 2000 cubic is just additional fill. 

Aura - does anyone in the city know how much fill they put on this property?

Staff - does not have that information, can follow up with staff that previously worked on the file.  Can get information for committee but does not have that for you today.

Chair - this refers to plowing some ditches filling with gravel and placing dirt over top. This land is back in pasture.  Property next to this one is flooded most of the time. not putting in french drains as planned has caused problems.

Domenic - Cannot support.

Chair - we deferred this applikcation before due to not having enough information to support or not.

Staff - if not comfortable, a motion of deferral is an option.  Perhaps the applicant would attend.

Chair - no opportunity to speak 

Defer until they receive further information.

M - Dom

S - Yvonne

Carried

Discussion

was reading the Ergologist report, was work done prior to putting fill on.  are they not resolving their issues and continually putting fill down.

Staff:

Anecdotal Comments

- would like to se an explanation of what has happened why the application was pulled what work has been done, how much fill on proprety and clearer of what work will be going forward.

  • THAT the Agricultural Advisory Committee recommend to Council that Application No. A21-0005 for non-farm use to place up to 2000 cubic meters of fill to the subject property, located at 841 Curtis Road, Kelowna, B.C., be supported.



There were no updates.No decision back

there is no new business.

Aura - want to talk about our committee size.  only the 4 of us at all meetings.  the other members do not seem to be attending.  

A Municipal election will not happen for another year.

Is there anything that can be done?

Yvonne - needs a reminder some time of meeting.

Staff noted we do have a number of alternates.  can bring up with our City Clerks Dept regarding vacancy.  better to have more committee members attending. there are issues with quorum.  will look into that potential committee spot and will follow up with the committee. 

Would like alternate 

Committee has concerns with members not attending.  Need to fill the vacant position and Abby not there.

Summer schedule will be an issue as Aura is unable to attend during July and August. Will not meet quoarum

​The next Committee meeting has been scheduled for July 8, 2021.

The Chair declared the meeting terminated at 7:30 p.m.