A farmland property owner, who's already been keeping commercial vehicles on his property without a permit, is asking city council to allow 36 such vehicles to be parked on his farm.
City staff are recommending council say no to this proposal.
The numbered company, under the director Manjit Sandhu, is asking for a non-farm-use application for the property in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) at 5440 No. 6 Rd., near No. 6 Road and International Place.
The city bylaw department found the 2.5-acre property is already being used to park commercial vehicles and that unauthorized fill has been deposited on the site without permission from the city nor from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).
A report going to city council further noted there are areas within Richmond designated for commercial vehicle parking as alternatives.
Up until 2021, for more than 20 years, the property was used as a nursery farm, reads the city staff report.
While it did have prior farm status, the property does not currently have farm status, according to BC Assessment.
North of the site is an agricultural processing building with associated parking and loading while to the west, across No. 6 Road, is a property zoned for industrial businesses and mixed employment in the Official Community Plan.
Meanwhile, properties to the south and east sides of the farm are in the ALR.
City council will need to decide whether to forward the application to the land commission, which would make the ultimate decision.
If both city council and the ALC approve the non-farm use application, an additional application will need to be submitted to the ALC “to address the placement of fill on the property.”
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