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Free tickets up for grabs for the Panthers’ minor hockey appreciation game, page 15
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Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Angela Cowan/News staff
Alpacas abounded at Bailiwick Farm in North Saanich, but none posed so appropriately as this particular beast, who seemed to be quite enjoying himself in the sun.
Maber Flats purchase pending ALC approval No new taxes needed to fund land deal Angela Cowan News staff
The path leading to improvements to storm water management on Maber Flats in Central Saanich has been long and uncertain and there are still a few bends in the road for the municipality to navigate. The District has entered into a purchase-and-donation agreement
with the property owner that, if it goes through, will start the process of building an agricultural drainage facility. The appraised value of the land is $1,172,000 and with the current owner donating 10 per cent of the value back to the municipality, the final purchase price will be $1,054,800. Funds will come from reserves, said Patrick Robins, chief administrative officer for the District of Central Saanich. He noted that, as of Dec. 31, 2013, the District had more than $5 million in reserves and surplus. “The message here is that no
new tax dollars are required to purchase the Maber flats land.” But while funding might not be an issue, there are several other potential stumbling blocks to finalizing the deal and moving forward on the plans to build the facility. “There are conditions within the purchase and donation agreement that are still outstanding,” said Robins. In order for the purchase to go through, the Agricultural Land Commission has to approve both an application for non-farm use on the property and a subdivision of the property to allow for the sale. “Should those approvals be met,
the municipality can conclude the deal,” said Robins. Last year, there were 16 approved applications each for both non-farm use and subdivision of Agricultural Land Reserve properties, so it’s not an unheard of situation, but as each proposal is judged individually, prior decisions don’t really factor in. “The commission’s primary focus is to look at each application on its merit, and it does so in the context of what the (ALC’s) mandate is, which is to preserve agricultural land and encourage farming,” said Brian Underhill, deputy chief executive officer for
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the Commission. Underhill, who has been with the ALC since 1980, couldn’t comment specifically on the Maber Flats application, but said the big picture needs to be looked at when making a decision to change use on ALR lands. The Commission looks at the size and magnitude of an application, the effects on adjacent lands and positive and negative implications of any proposal. “Every case has its unique set of facts and evidence,” he said. PLeAse see: Maber Flats discussions, page 4
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