The City of Pitt Meadows will not forward an application to build a second home on a farm property to the Agricultural Land Commission.The application for non-farm use was made by Paul Chauhan so he could build a house for his family to live in while he works part-time on his mother’s 2.4 hectare (five acre) blueberry farm on McNeil Road.Chauhan’s mother, who suffers from post traumatic stress, is unable to run the farm by herself.“It’s for my mom’s sake,” said Chauhan, who recently lost two siblings.“She is in a state where she can’t work and in a state where we can’t take her away from the family house.”The Chauhans have farmed the property since 1981. He said there would be no net loss to farmland because blueberry plants would be transferred to a part of the property that is not being used.Pitt Meadows land use bylaw, however, only permits additional residential dwellings to be built for full-time employees on properties larger than four hectares (9.8 acres).Chauhan’s application was also not supported by the city’s agricultural advisory committee, which feared it would set a precedent. “I’m disappointed,” said Chauhan.Pitt Meadows Mayor Don MacLean believes council can’t make exceptions due to personal circumstances.“I think that we have got to the stage where we really have to take ownership of some of the land uses that are happening in our community,” he added.City staff confirmed the Chauhans would be able to put a mobile home or manufactured home on the property, which would comply with the city’s bylaw.

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