If Port Metro Vancouver is to purchase land, it should be appropriately zoned land, said City of Richmond Coun. Linda Barnes at Wednesdays planning commission meeting.
Council approved a motion to once again request Port Metro Vancouver agree to not expand or operate on lands in the Agricultural Land Reserve, something that is not expressed in the ports latest phase three draft of their land use plan.
I believe they should be including, purchases of appropriately zoned lands as they become available adjacent or close to existing port lands, said Barnes. And theyre not, theyre purchasing agricultural lands because theyre cheaper.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie had a slightly different point of view, saying I think we should just concentrate on agricultural lands. Theyll do what theyre going to do.
In the spirit of brevity, Coun. Harold Steves suggested pointing out individual sites to protect.
Theres the Gilmore Farm, the Rabbit River Farm and two or three others. Gilmore Farm they have refused to recognize that permanently as agriculture. Rabbit River Farm they put down as undetermined, said Steves. Could we not specifically name the properties and say we want to see those listed as agriculture?
Steves is a longtime farmland advocate and has been vocal about the ports expansion plans since it purchased Gilmore, a 200-acre farm in East Richmond, in 2009.
