Residents of the District of Kent have about one day more to put in their feedback for the most recent proposal to remove the much-contended Teacup properties from the Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR).
The current proposal on the table from the developer asks for 17.26 hectares from the Teacup properties just outside the Agassiz townsite to be replaced by 40.8 hectares of mixed-grade farmland, donation of the prime topsoil from the Teacup properties and a $3 million contribution toward amenities in the community.
Debates about what to do with this property have raged for more than 25 years. The proposals to exclude the Teacup properties from the ALR have been declined a number of times – by the then-District Council in 2005, by Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) in 2014 and again by the ALC in 2018.
RELATED: KAAC won’t back Kent’s Teacup properties plans
Approximately two weeks ago, the District of Kent hosted a lively public meeting at the Friendship House in Agassiz. Residents were given an opportunity to share their thoughts about the exclusion application. Tensions ran high and a number of residents were not shy about sharing their thoughts. The opinions were mixed by the time the meeting wrapped up, with a few supporters of the exclusion application while a majority who spoke out wished to keep the farmland as farmland.
RELATED: Tensions, opinions run high during Tuesday’s Teacup meeting
The online survey is 13 questions long. The first four questions ask about personal information, followed by questions 5 and 6 asking about whether or not you support the exclusion from the ALR. The next few questions ask about property development if the proposal were to meet the approval of the ALC, followed by gathering residents’ thoughts on how the $3 million contribution should be spent – again, granted the exclusion application is approved.
The survey wraps up with with questions regarding proposed park space in the Teacup properties, improvements to the Agassiz-Rosedale Highway and McDonald Road intersection and the length of time in which the land should be developed, if the exclusion application were to go through.
Fill out your own comment sheet by clicking here.
Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.
adam.louis@ahobserver.com
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