Richmond recommends 11,000-sq.-ft. farmhouse restrictions

Richmond city council has voted to move ahead with proposed changesthat would cap the size of a farmhouseon half-an-acre to just under 11,000 square feet.

Monday night's 7-2 vote followed months of public consultations around the issue of mega-homesbeing built on the Agricultural Land Reserve.

City Coun. Carol Day is against the updated guidelines.

"This lame motion is not going to do as much as it could have done," she said, addingthe wording is too vague and allows for many loopholes.

"One of the other things I voted against was the allowance for a farmland owner who wants to build a larger house than the 10,764 square feet to be able to apply for rezoning that could take them to an even larger size."

The wording of the proposed bylaw suggests exceptionsbe considered to "accommodate a variety of cultural and inter-generational family needs."

'Unwise precedent'

Day arguedthese new recommendations set an unwise precedentfor farming communities across B.C.

"I think the logical thing to do should've been to mirror the bylaws in Maple Ridge at a maximum of 7,000 square feet," she said.

"If extenuating circumstances come up, where you've got three generations trying to farm 20 acres, then you could potentially allow for revisions at that point."

Until now, Richmond was one of the few Lower Mainland municipalities not to have any kind of size restrictions on farm homes.

Day pointed out hundreds of people have weighed in during public consultations in recent weeks, saying there has been "overwhelming support"for reducing the house limits on farmland.

The last step of the process isa public hearingMay 15, which will be followed by a final council vote.