Agriculture Master Plan

• 12:45 – 1:15 Overview of Community Workshop + Survey

• 1:15 - 2:30 Plan Recommendation review

• 2:45 – 3:45 Land Use Bylaw review & discussion

Today’s Agenda:

Update of Community Workshop• February 16 Community Workshop• Goals discussion extended by web

survey• 30 people attended workshop• 40 people completed web survey

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Goal 1: To recognize and promote the importance of the ag industry to RVC• 95% support• Draft policy statements

– The agriculture business is a major economic contributor for the region and will serve a significant role in the future: 95%/2%/3% (support/non-support/unsure)

– County policies should do more to ensure that agriculture can be viable in the future with minimal land use conflict: 92/4/6

– The County should adopt a right-to-farm policy: 71/10/19 *

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Draft policy statements

• The agricultural community provides a key role in land stewardship from which the broader public benefits: 95/2/3

• Equestrian related land uses are a significant component of the Rocky View agricultural landscape: 74/7/19

• The Economic Development Strategy should include the rural landscape to generate economic activity for the region: 93/2/5

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Goal 2: To Increase public awareness and understanding for agricultural activities, uses and opportunities in the industry. • 89% support• Draft policy statements:

– The Ag Master Plan should be used as a promotional tool and to help direct new investment in the industry: 66/6/28

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Draft policy statements• Agricultural Services should enhance the programs and educational

services it provides to the agricultural industry: 85/3/12• Agricultural Services should enhance the programs and educational

services it provides to new acreage owners to provide rural living awareness: 98/0/2

• The definition of a farm is: An agricultural operation with a gross annual sales of at least $10,000: 43/34/23 *

• The definition of agriculture is: The business of growing, raising, managing and selling of: livestock, crops and directly related value-added products and services: 91/3/6

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Goal 3: To facilitate opportunities for the diversification of the agricultural industry in Rocky View County where possible• 93% support• Draft policy statements:

– Diversification of the ag industry for local food should be supported if local producers are interested in pursuing that type of production: 94/2/4

– County growth areas should attempt to accommodate local markets for selling and distribution of locally grown foods or products: 94/4/2

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Draft policy statements– More intensified use of the WID irrigation infrastructure is

supported by reduced ag parcel sizes in those areas, which allow for more diversified small scale food growth and diversified operations: 68/6/26 *

– Rocky View County should establish policies which support value-added initiatives in the agricultural sector: 89/6/5

– Limited-impact value-added ag uses should be supported as home-based business operations: 89/3/8

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Draft policy statements

New ag proposals which require a land use redesignation for a “new, diversified or expanded use” should be required to provide a business plan to demonstrate an actual use: 65/17/18 *

– Fragmentation of ag lands for new and expanded ag uses should primarily be directed to areas where that land use pattern is consistent with the surrounding area: 59/26/14 *

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Goal 4: To provide a policy framework which will facilitate a sustainable and viable agriculture sector by addressing conflicts and opportunities arising from growth, regional urbanization and competition for ag lands.• 77% support

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Draft policy statements• Agricultural tourism-related useses are appropriate in ag areas

of the County: 88/3/9• To support ongoing ag operations in Rocky View, road

infrastructure should be built to a level that will support the safe and timely movement of ag equipment and products:93/2/5

• Transitional land use policies should be established next to urban neighbours and growth areas to provide interface mitigation initiatives: 53/10/37 *

• Some amount of “smart growth” for new country residential development in ag areas is appropriate: 46/33/21 *

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Goal 5: To acknowledge the land as natural capital and establish appropriate land use policies to preserve and enhance this investment• 74% support• Draft policy statements

– Ag land holds intrinsic value from an environmental, ecological and social viewpoint. Policies and programs which support, recognize and conpensate for these values is supported: 77/4/19

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Draft policy statements– Small scale energy-based production can be supported in

agricultural areas as related to agricultural land uses: 62/7/31

– The County should support local energy production through use of the land’s natural capital with possible contributions back to the energy grid: 67/6/27

– Environmentally sensitive areas (waterways, riparian areas, wetlands, significant slopes) require special agricultural management practices: 94/0/6

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Draft policy statements– Extraction of gravel resources in ag areas, in accordance

with provincial, county and environmental regulations is appropriate use of the land’s natural capital: 63/22/15 *

– The County should position itself to be able to proactively respond to provincial government initiatives which deal wit compensation for preservation of ag land and use of transfer of development credits: 68/12/50

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Goal 6: To review County policies which may be prohibitive to the agriculture business and provide recommendations for improvement• 91% support• Draft policy statements:

– Permitted home-based businesses should be expanded in ag areas to recognize the potential for a more diverse range of low-impact businesses operating from farm sites: 90/2/8

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Draft policy statements– Direct sale or farm-gate sales should be supported on the ag

landscape: 100%– The minimum accepted parcel size for ag-related uses should

be reduced from 20 acres, its current minimum size: 41/42/17 * – Subdivision of ag land based on natural divisions (lands

separated from larger ag parcels by roads, rail lines, environmental feature, etc) should be supported by County policy: 79/6/15

– New country residential sites should be directed toward County growth areas and existing areas of residential growth: 56/36/9 *

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Draft policy statements– New country residential sites should be directed to areas where

paved County road access is already provided: 36/42/22 * – Construction of new road infrastructure in ag areas to gain

access to new country residential sites is not desirable: 57/35/8 * – New country residential parcels should be located as close as

possible to existing County roads to minimize the length of private driveways and disturbance to ag lands: 60/27/13 *

– Infilling of existing pockets of country residential areas (which already consist of a few residential parcels on the quarter section) is appropriate when the land’s carrying capacity can handle it: 71/12/17

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Draft policy statements– New country residential parcels should be as small as possible to

reduce the amount of land taken out of ag production:52/32/16*– Separation and land use change of remnant, unusable lands from

an ag perspective, or fragmented lands to other uses is supported: 78/13/9

– Environmentally sensitive areas (waterways, riparian areas, wetlands, significant slopes) are not appropriate for new residential development: 78/9/13

– Context-sensitive, compact residential subdivision design is appropriate: 33/22/45 *

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Draft policy statements– New country residential parcels should integrate into

the existing landscape and provide spatial separation from surrounding/adjacent ag operations through the use of natural/ecological areas or man-m,ade enhanced buffer areas: 70/12/18

– Buffering technique preferences to mitigate conflict between country residential and ag uses:• Barrier fences: 8% Clustered subdivisions: 12%• Doesn’t matter: 1% Increased setbacks: 15%

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Buffering technique preferences

• Berms: 12% Municipal reserves: 15%• New residential roads: 1% Public pathways: 1%• Shared garden plots: 3% Storm ponds, ditches: 16%• Vegetated buffers: 19%

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