At first glance, approving the municipality’s Urban Growth Plan appears simple.
The plan would see the bulk of Summerland’s population concentrated in an area near the core of the community instead of continuing a patchwork of rural and urban land uses.
The difficulty is in removing 87 hectares from the Agricultural Land Reserve for future development.
Proponents of the plan say the densification of the core would benefit all. Opponents say prime agricultural land is needed if Summerland is to be able to continue producing food.
A petition has been started requesting that municipal council keep this land within the Agricultural Land Reserve.
The concerns about protecting farm land are legitimate and issues about future food production need to be discussed. This petition deserves thoughtful consideration and discussion.
At the same time, the land in question represents less than 1.2 per cent of Summerland’s total area. It is less than 3.1 per cent of Summerland’s ALR lands.
Will any decision on this amount of land have a noticeable impact on the future of farming in Summerland?
In the end, the decision on the Urban Growth Plan involves the province’s Agricultural Land Commission as well as Summerland’s municipal council.
Under provincial legislation, Summerland must have a plan to accommodate future growth.
The Agricultural Land Commission has a mandate to preserve agricultural land within the province, even if that land is not being farmed at present.
To come up with a workable solution, compromises are required. A plan which benefits one group of land users at the expense of all others is not a good plan.
The needs of all must be considered.
