Rezoning Arid ALR Land for Public Development

The NDP came to power for the first time in B.C in 1973, largely due to its idea to protect agricultural lands from development. The Agricultural Land Reserve initiative remains extremely beloved, with 95% of respondents to a 2017 province-wide poll supporting it.  This support stems from a strong conviction that B.C. and Canada should remain independent producers of its food supplies.  Everyone thinks that protecting our farms and reducing reliance on food imports is a vital priority for our society.

It’s nearly impossible to envision the current NDP government making any alterations to the ALR zoning program considering this broad support.  But like the ‘73 NDP’s, this party came to power based on its stance on one issue – affordable housing.  If they are serious about tackling this issue on all fronts, it must take a long, hard look at the cracks in the ALR program.
 

There are over 10 million acres of land protected by the ALR in B.C, including 150,000 acres in Metro Vancouver.  But here in the Metro, only 50% of that land is being farmed and nearly 30,000 acres are arid, according to a 2016 Vancity study.  It would seem to make sense to turn over a small percentage of that fallow, unfarmed land to affordable housing developments, especially those acres that are close to urban centers and transit.

 ENM project manager Daniel Greenhalgh says that when he drives down Lougheed Highway in Langley and Burnaby, he’s struck by how much empty ALR land sits right alongside major developments and transit hubs.  “This land is long past being used to alleviate food shortages in BC as the ALR intended.  Why not take 20 or 30 acres of this ALR land on the highway, let it be purchased for the ALR rate, convert it overnight and give the profit to the end user for social housing costs?  Developers could have a balanced partnership with the government to build new affordable houses here.”

The resistance to this kind of idea is predictable, as most British Columbians would fear a ‘slippery slope’ if ALR lands were given over to development of any kind.  But Daniel believes the scale of the housing crisis calls for this to be considered.
 

“There’s just such an extreme shortage of undeveloped land in the Lower Mainland that it would be foolish not to consider reclassifying some of this non-arable ALR land for development.  It would definitely help with affordability issues, and there could be some very clear guidelines on what kind of ALR land could be developed.”

But this line of thinking is radical even for developers.  Last week, at a UDI luncheon in the Okanagan, this idea was floated by keynote speaker Ross Hickie, a UBC economics professor.  While he made a fairly strong case, some members described it as “somewhat out there”.  It would clearly take a major shift in perception for this to be feasible, and the push would likely have to come from the NDP itself.  But it’s such a big taboo for politicians, especially from the NDP, to touch ALR land for housing purposes that it’s unlikely any MP will find the political courage to do this any time soon.