Kamloops city council has agreed to forward an application to the Agricultural Land Commission to remove a 30-hectare parcel of land in Sahali, but it will do so without endorsing the application.
The decision was made following a Sept. 1 public hearing that spanned more than four hours, with most in attendance opposed to developing the land at 2105 Tremerton Dr.
The property is located behind McGowan Park elementary school and next to Gambles Pond and is entirely within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
The application will follow two unsuccessful attempts to sever the land from the ALR. In 2006, the owner applied to have 48 ha removed and was denied. Another application in 2024, this time including other owners of adjacent land, was also denied.
Lands under the Agricultural Land Commission Act are regulated, with restrictions on building size, subdivision, removal of soil and more. Any land use bylaws implemented by the city must be endorsed by the commission.
Since the 1970s, applications by the city or its residents have excluded about 1,500 hectares of land from the ALR, but 95 percent of that was all before the year 2000, and only 85 hectares have been excluded since that year, according to a city report.
Much of the concern from residents at the hearing was over Gambles Pond, which is currently dry from ongoing drought conditions. Many of those speaking were in favour of finding a way to return water to the pond.
“We need to preserve the green space. … Grow Kamloops. I’m all for it, but we need green space, as well,” said Robert Ferris, a nearby resident, who said he has watched wildlife move through the area for nearly 35 years.
Another resident said the pond has been a boon to his mental health and may have even saved his life during times of stress.
Minutes from the public hearing will accompany the city’s application to the ALC.
Following a successful motion from Coun. Margot Middleton to remove any mention of council supporting the application, council passed the resolution 7-1, with only Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson opposed.
“Because of the mechanisms the ALR has put forth, that applications can only go through a local government, that puts the burden on us to either support or not support, and I’d like to see this be more neutral,” Middleton said.
Coun. Neustaeter agreed, saying that council isn’t qualified to support the exclusion, as far as she was concerned.
“It’s why the ALC exists. Their expertise in this area is invaluable and to position council ahead of that seems illogical to me,” she said.
If the exclusion application to the ALC is successful, more work would need to be done by the city before the land could be developed, including a determination on if the development fits into the city’s official community plan, an infrastructure servicing study, a traffic assessment and a professional environmental report addressing wildlife corridors and riparian buffers. A future parkland dedication and potential future school expansion would also have to be considered.