Several notable community members spoke in favour of issuing a temporary use permit for a one-acre urban farm downtown at the regular District of Squamish council meeting on Tuesday (June 21), but other community members raised personal and legal concerns.
"Farms have a place and it's not here," said John Ducharme, who lives next door at Studio SQ.
"You really have to stop and think - this is your main drag in Squamish."
He made it clear he did not want a farm next to the home he had just purchased as a place to retire, and that for he and his wife, three to six years - the duration of the temporary use permit -was a long time.
The permit will allow the Squamish Climate Action Network (CAN) to transform an empty lot on Cleveland Avenue into an urban farm with greenhouses and planting boxes.
The lot, at the corner of Main Street and Cleveland Avenue, would employ local people to tend to the crops, give food to low-income families and sell food to local restaurants and farmers' markets. The organic farm would also teach people about food and nutrition, as well as spread awareness of issues like food security.
Ducharme said he thought the farm was a good idea, just not suited to the location.
"We moved here for Cleveland Avenue with the shops and the promise of a vibrant downtown. That's why we bought here," he said.
"It's a wonderful idea but it's in the wrong place - the place for a farm is not on the main drag, and not next to me. I don't want my home degraded in value because it's next to a greenhouse."
Ducharme said he was also concerned about dust coming in the windows and "the sound of digging."
Cameron Chalmers, community services general manager, assured council that the farm was non-mechanical, would normally operate only during daylight hours and said "raised planter beds and grennhouses are not typically dust generating."
Local political watchdog Terrill Patterson surprised those in council chambers by speaking about the matter.
He said he needed to speak up now instead of letting council make "another mistake" - referring to a council decision last year not to issue local resident Don McCargar a development permit to which he was entitled. A judge recently ruled in McCargar's favour in his legal challenge of the district's denial of the permit.
"I don't particularly want council to do something you shouldn't have done in the first place again," said Patterson.
He said issuing a temporary permit to an urban farm is not within council's authority because temporary use permits are only allowed to be issued for commercial or industrial uses.
"Agriculture is not considered under land use as commercial or industry," he said. "It's a separate type of use altogether. Now you're only allowed to give temporary use permits for commercial and industrial and such, but not agriculture."
Patterson said he normally wouldn't get involved but opposition changes the situation.
"Normally I would let things slide," he said. "But when you have opposition to something, you don't want to put the council in the position of looking, well, foolish. Not that I mind but it's election year. You should care."
Mayor Greg Gardner asked Chalmers to comment.
"Mr. Patterson is correct - traditionally agricultural use is not available on a temporary use permit," Chalmers said.
"However, we do zone all of our greenhouses, and this form is largely a greenhouse form that's being done as a commercial, social enterprise, as a commercial operation."
Coun. Patricia Heitnzman asked what the consequences would be if Squamish CAN didn't live up to council's expectations.
Chalmers said staff did not include permit preconditions but there are bylaws to enforce regular violations. The temporary use permit will be up for renewal in three years.
Coun. Rob Kirkham moved to support the temporary permit, Heintzman seconded the motion and it was carried unanimously.
Corridor Trail to be completed in 2011
After almost five years, engineering general manager Brian Barnett and municipal infrastructure engineer Jenni Chancey gave council news leaders have been waiting to hear -the corridor trail will be completed by Sept. 30.
Chancey explained the time frame for the project, saying construction on the Clarke Drive portion would begin immediately, the Mamquam River area would be completed in July and the northern section would be completed in August.
The only remaining component is to pave the trail in its entirety - an issue that Barnett said could take place pending council and Department of Fisheries (DFO) approval because of some sensitive riparian areas.
"DFO is concerned that the more asphalt we lay, the larger the riparian impact," Chancey said. She said DFO would be much more lenient if the district decided to use permeable pavement in some areas, but added that the material is more expensive.
Kirkham said he was fairly sure council had decided to pave the entire corridor trail because it's meant to be a commuter trail. In 2006 there was consensus to pave the trail in its entirety and council reaffirmed this desire in June and July 2010.
Heintzman reiterated her sentiments from last year, saying that paving was necessary to accommodate multiple uses - strollers, roller skaters, motorized scooters and others.
The rest of council voiced support for the paving as well and Heintzman made a motion to direct staff to proceed with paving the corridor trail as soon as reasonably possible, allowing for budget restraints.
According to Chancey, the only budget restraints would arise if permeable pavement turned out to be dramatically more expensive than ordinary asphalt.
