Land commission staff pointed out any residential auxiliary uses in the ALR have to be approved by his office.
A piece of farmland in Richmond is being advertised to potential buyers as a place to build their dream home with “lots of land” for a tennis court, basketball court, mini pitch & putt or park extra cars or an RV.
The property, at 6300 No. 4 Rd. selling for $1.95 million, is located in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), a protected area that has strict uses mandated by the province under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Land Commmission (ALC).
While the ad is not incorrect, it might be “premature” to say amenities such as a tennis or basketball court can be built on the farmland, as they would need to be approved by the ALC first, explained Avtar Sundher, director of operations with the ALC.
“It’s not guaranteed they would get it,” he said.
Amenities like a tennis court are considered an “auxiliary residential use” and the ALC sometimes approves them if they’re “within reason,” Sundher said.
“It’s at our discretion – we may or may not approve that, depending on the size of the parcel and how many other things are on the other property,” he added.
Furthermore, any fill application in the ALR, for possible improvements to or raising of the land, needs to be sent in via the City of Richmond, forwarded by council, and then approved by the ALC.
The property for sale, just north of MacNeill secondary, is half an acre in size with no buildings on it.
The ad notes a 4,305-square-foot house can be built on it. Richmond bylaws don’t allow houses larger than that size on ALR properties.
In 2018, when the ALC restricted ALR house sizes to 5,300 square feet to discourage mega-mansions being built on farmland, Richmond city council went one step further, restricting house sizes on ALR properties within its municipal boundaries to 4,305 square feet.
The ad has appeared in print and online.
The Richmond News has reached out to the realtor for comment.