The chickens arenB次元官网网址檛 coming home to roost, yet.

A Saanich familyB次元官网网址檚 plan to open a chicken farm on their agricultural land has hit a stumbling block at the municipal level.

Gordon Alberg said his hands were tied after Saanich council twice denied his familyB次元官网网址檚 request to developing housing on property at 1516 Mount Douglas X Rd.

So the family B次元官网网址� Gord and his siblings Don Alberg and Florence Davis B次元官网网址� went the route council suggested, and proposed a poultry operation that would house 12,000 birds in four barns.

SaanichB次元官网网址檚 planning department has now denied the family building permits, which Alberg says is all politics.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e trying to have jurisdiction over it,B次元官网网址� he said of his property, which is protected in the provincial agricultural land reserve but now sits astride a number of residential neighbourhoods south of Mount Doug Park.

Alberg hired a lawyer, John Alexander, after Saanich staff denied building permits on Sept. 28 due to problems with building sizes and property line setbacks, but not the potential poultry operation.

B次元官网网址淭his is agricultural land reserve land, and the majority of the concerns that (Saanich) raised simply do not apply to ... farm uses,B次元官网网址� Alexander said.

Alexander said while SaanichB次元官网网址檚 lawyers appear to be of the opinion that a building permit should have been issued for the chicken farm, there are still concerns about permitted building sizes and setbacks.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not convinced Saanich is right about the setbacks. All theyB次元官网网址檙e going to do is drive the project to taller, higher more intrusive barns and more intensive activity along the property lines,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like B次元官网网址榖e careful what you wish for,B次元官网网址� so to speak.

B次元官网网址淭he Albergs want to do this in the least intrusive way possible,B次元官网网址� Alexander added. B次元官网网址淭hey are committed to getting some productive use of this land, and it really will be council that will determine what the form of that productive use is.B次元官网网址�

SaanichB次元官网网址檚 director of planning Sharon Hvozdanski admits there is conflict between the property as designated farmland while being zoned as residential.

B次元官网网址淭he use of the land is brought into question based on the existing single-family zoning, and also in regard to the use of the land for farming,B次元官网网址� Hvozdanski said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 our opinion that (land-use issues) havenB次元官网网址檛 been adequately addressed.B次元官网网址�

On July 23, Saanich council voted 5-4 to protect farmland and oppose removing the property from the ALR.

The four dissenting voters argued that keeping the land in the ALR could result in a farming operation that would be more intrusive on neighbours than 12 homes and a community garden.

B次元官网网址淚f you want to save farmland you have to live with it being farmed,B次元官网网址� Mayor Frank Leonard said at the time.

Coun. Dean Murdock, one of the more outspoken of the five councillors who voted to reject the housing proposal, stands by the decision.

B次元官网网址淲e have to stop carving up our farmland and turning it into asphalt-paved subdivision,B次元官网网址� Murdock said.

B次元官网网址淥ur hope was that whatever farm process that might occur there would be a less intrusive farm practice (than a poultry operation) B次元官网网址� and I regret the frustration and anxiety this has likely caused the neighbours, but retaining the farmland was the right decision.B次元官网网址�

kslavin@saanichnews.com