BRUCEDALE – Though Wellington County still has the final say, Guelph-Eramosa council is asking that a proposed lot line adjustment for 5161 Jones Baseline be treated more like a surplus farm dwelling severance.
In surplus farm dwelling severances, the retained land is much smaller than the proposed lot line adjustment to retain 9.5ac to create a mini-farm property.
The item had returned to council on Feb. 24 following an extensive discussion at council on Feb. 10.
Proponents initiated the lot line adjustment process to sever a 11.95ha (29.5ac) parcel of land and add it to the adjacent property (5184 Wellington County Road 29) owned by Donkers Poultry Farms Ltd.
The retained lands would be 3.84ha (9.5ac) in size and retain an existing dwelling, two barns and two other accessory structures.
The retained parcel is planned to operate as a small-scale agricultural operation with alpacas, chickens and a future micro-cultivation operation for cannabis.
Guelph-Eramosa’s revised recommendation to Wellington County Land Division Committee is that while the township supports the agricultural lot line adjustment application in principle, the township recommends the proposed retained lot be reduced in size to accommodate only the existing dwelling and buildings.
Further the recommendation stated that should land division approve the proposed lot line adjustment application as submitted, the county should be satisfied that the retained lands are large enough to be viable as an agricultural operation.
A letter on behalf of the Coombs family states, “Our plan is to keep approximately three acres for the family homes and current barns, 6.4 acres for greenhouse and to grow organic produce.
“Although we anticipate some income from the animals, and have plans to farm five acres of organic produce in the future, in order to generate a sustainable and significant income from the property to retain our farm status, we have been working on a startup business in micro cultivation.”
Proponents stated the greenhouse would be about 3,000 square feet in total with about 2,000 sq. ft. dedicated to a cannabis canopy.
The letter stated the business would only grow the plants as the Coombs are working with CannTex which would purchase the plants for processing.
Ferris noted that at the previous council, she had identified concerns with the overall long-term viability of such a small agricultural operation (less than 10 acres).
She noted a revised recommendation was now before council.
Councillor Mark Bouwmeester said if Wellington County chooses to ignore the township’s recommendation, relief would still be required through a minor variance application.
“We’re saying to keep this limited to around the house and buildings.”
White said “to be clear, what we are recommending is the traditional take the area around farmhouse as the footprint (of the land to be retained).
“Ultimately, the county will make a decision, and if they do, we have conditions we would like to be met.”
Councillor Bruce Dickieson noted part of the proposal included a 3,000sqft greenhouse.
“Would it fit in the smaller footprint?” he asked.
Ferris was uncertain if the proponents had considered whether the greenhouse would fit within a reduced property size.
White said, “If land division wants to move ahead with this, we might be breaking new ground. That is for them to make those decisions which would be filtered back to county policy.”
He still did not see a justification for the small size when the county currently requests farm properties to be 25 acres to be viable.
“Our preference is that this be treated as a traditional surplus farm dwelling severance, but if the county decides otherwise, we have conditions we would like to see met.” One of those conditions is that the county is satisfied the retained land would remain a viable farm operation.
White concluded that the most important thing is how the property is severed, not the process used to get it there. “If the land division committee has decided to move ahead, let’s move ahead,” White said.
