RU Insane?

The first hit by Mayor Garlick and his council on a family's pocketbook--Subdivision Development and Servicing Bylaw 1535 2008--saw First, Second and Third readings on Monday, March 12th, 2012.

The second hit--this time to families' lifelong investment plans with the creation of RU10 AND RU30 land zoning--was presented at an Open House on Wednesday, March, 14th.

Glossy maps and full-colour flipchart pages adorned display stands and tables, and bureaucrats were available to answer questions from the public.  Even the mayor and councillors attended.  A bonus.

Many people, most of whom were elderly residents, walked around viewing the displays.   The odd jaw dropped here and there, but not from speech.  From what they saw was happening to their family's property investment...their homes.

Never mind that the changes "support agriculture".
Never mind that you can have chickens now.
Never mind that farm workers won't have to live in tents while picking fruit.
Never mind that you can have 3 directional signs so the public find your "Hay for Sale" gate.

In the supreme interest of supporting agriculture--a phrase used so frequently by this Mayor and Council that it might as well be emblazoned on their foreheads--they're even changing the zoning of land that isn't agricultural (not locked against subdivision within the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve).

Really?  Yup, and just because it's NEAR agriculture.

So if Mayor Garlick and his council are supporting agriculture with these changes, who is supporting the non-agricultural lands?  

Apparently nobody.

Non-agricultural landowners didn't apply for any zoning changes.
Likely many farmland owners are being forced to accept zoning changes.

The 20+ pages of the new bylaw, with 10 additional map pages and official community plan amendment, read like an insurance policy.

Council is creating RU10 and RU30 zones.  Some lands used to be able to be subdivide if they met the previous minimum of 4.94 acres.  On some lands, that's now changed to a minimum of 24.71 acres.

The non-agricultural lands that have been zoned RU2 will stay RU2...but don't breathe a big sigh of relief yet.  There are new rules on how you can/cannot impact adjacent agriculture. 
As though my BBQ would scare a goat.

Some agricultural lands were able to subdivide previously; now they cannot subdivide unless they're (RU sitting down?) 74.13 acres.  No matter that a portion or all of their lands have, since 1973, been locked in the ALR!

This Council is even encouraging consolidation where numerous farm titles exist under the same owner.

Where previous--and objectively-focussed--mayors and their councils decided that farmland would be valley-bottom and growth would occur on sidehills along the valleys, several months ago Councillor Maria Besso was quoted saying "we don't want mile-long subdivisions".  And, overhead--and obviously in reply to an unheard question from a resident--Councillor Enns was heard to say: "...we can do this, it's to our lands here."  Let me guess what may have prompted that response:  "I own--not rent--my land; how can you do this to my family?"

That may be, yes, but a previous mayor and council whom we trusted said we could have mile-long subdivisions.

It's as though Mayor Garlick and his pack are blending the Occupy Movement with the Growth Management Strategy.
They've set the blender on PUREE.
And this unrecognizable soup is the result.

Seems the Mother Ship wants to remove not only the ability--but also the temptation--to subdivide.

"The Mother Ship?" asks Kia.

RU not listening either, Kia?  Apparently people are still allowed to apply to the Mother Ship for variances.


  "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."  Winston Churchill, on misplaced idealism.