Updated: Squamish Introduces Agricultural 1 Zone to support farming

Update: July 3, 2024: these bylaw amendments were adopted by council at its regular meeting on July 2.

A new land use zone has been created to protect agricultural practices on Squamish Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) properties.

Council members unanimously passed three readings of the bylaw amendments at its regular meeting on June 18th.

The new Agricultural 1 zone is being applied in a phased-in approach, starting with the rezoning of five properties that are currently actively farmed.

Four of the properties are on Government Road, and one is on Harris Road.

This rezoning aligns these properties with the Agricultural Land Reserve, a provincial zone that prioritizes agricultural uses on land.

District planner Aja Philp said the impetus for this rezoning was to align the area's zoning with the Agricultural Land Commission Act (ALCA) and the Agricultural Land Reserve Use Regulation (ALRUR).

"The current rural zoning that covers most of our ALR land within the district has inconsistencies that have led to the need to update the zoning," she said, also noting "the challenge of preserving farming, both locally and across B.C. grows with each passing year."

Philp noted that ALR lands face increasing pressure from urban development and encroachment.

"The District has a role to play in both preserving the community’s agricultural land base and in creating a regulatory environment that supports local farms and food production,” she said.

The new zone expands the uses allowed on the properties, adding accessory agriculture use definitions, such as agritourism, farm product processing, and gathering for an event.

Duplexes were removed from the allowable uses, as were pet daycares, which are considered a commercial nonfarm use.

(Kennel use is retained as a permitted use, to allow breeding and boarding.)

Short-term rentals were also no longer allowed under the new zone.

Changes were also made to allowable lot coverage and setbacks.

Easter Seals

A side issue that is addressed in the new zone is the granting of permission by the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission for Easter Seals Camp Squamish to re-establish the non-farm use of the property for outdoor education program camps, in partnership with Mulgrave School. 

This use was considered by council in 2022 and forwarded to the ALC for approval.

One condition of the ALC approval was to amend the property’s zoning to ensure consistency with both the ALC decision and the ALCA and ALRUR, and Philp said this condition is met within the new zone.

District staff intend to work on rezoning other ALR lands in the district in future phases when they "have the capacity to engage with the large number of ALR land owners," Philp said.

Read the full staff report on the District's website.

These bylaw amendments are on the agenda for adoption at the Tuesday, July 2, regular council meeting.