NDP to Kill Richmond's Farmland MegaMansions

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Marshal

If you don't, then read my post above. It's pretty straightforward.

I did and I still don't get it. You can build a monster home and still farm the same amount of land as if a small home had been built. A monster home certainly doesn't stop any ability to farm in the future, as can be seen with active farming surrounding some current large homes.

Personally this all seems more like a political issue than anything.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by whatnext

There may be some South Asian multigenerational families using these mega mansions in the way you describe but the vast majority are Mainland Chinese trophy houses. If 50% isn’t being farmed, we need to do better, not worse, at encouraging agriculture.

I actually need to see some hard data to believe that number.

Whenever I drive through Richmond / Delta / Pitt Meadows / etc... the vast majority of farms seem to be in use and the agricultural industry (from cranberries to blueberries to strawberries to grapes to dairy etc...) seems pretty healthy.

Also I wonder if that stat includes agricultural plots not currently being used simply because they are in their regeneration cycle for nutrients.

I believe that to keep farmland productive only around 2/3rds is actually used at one given time.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I did and I still don't get it. You can build a monster home and still farm the same amount of land as if a small home had been built. A monster home certainly doesn't stop any ability to farm in the future, as can be seen with active farming surrounding some current large homes.

Personally this all seems more like a political issue than anything.

I think it's more when you build the mansion on the lot it deallocates the farmland on paper.

[djmk]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I actually need to see some hard data to believe that number.

Whenever I drive through Richmond / Delta / Pitt Meadows / etc... the vast majority of farms seem to be in use and the agricultural industry (from cranberries to blueberries to strawberries to grapes to dairy etc...) seems pretty healthy.

Also I wonder if that stat includes agricultural plots not currently being used simply because they are in their regeneration cycle for nutrients.

I believe that to keep farmland productive only around 2/3rds is actually used at one given time.

http://www.metrovancouver.org/metro2...s/default.aspx

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I actually need to see some hard data to believe that number.

Whenever I drive through Richmond / Delta / Pitt Meadows / etc... the vast majority of farms seem to be in use and the agricultural industry (from cranberries to blueberries to strawberries to grapes to dairy etc...) seems pretty healthy.

Also I wonder if that stat includes agricultural plots not currently being used simply because they are in their regeneration cycle for nutrients.

I believe that to keep farmland productive only around 2/3rds is actually used at one given time.

Note the number was djmk's, not mine. I merely gave him the benefit of the doubt.

It should be clear to anyone not involved in the real estate industry that allowing huge mansions on farmlands harms the viability of such land for agricultural uses. You end up with a bunch of equestrian estates and such, not actual farming (see Southlands).

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by djmk

http://www.metrovancouver.org/metro2...s/default.aspx

You should read the fine print.

24.9% is not farmed with potential.

25.1% is not farmed because instead it is being used for residential, golf courses, parks, or has poor topography / soil conditions.

Essentially that 25.1% directly plays into the problem the province is trying to stop here.

Also out of all the major farming communities (Langley Township, Delta, Surrey, Richmond, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge) is well over 50% being used for active farming. Only Langley Township has a significant portion that is not being farmed with potential.

[misher]

Living in Richmond I take some offense to the comments here.

Those mega mansions in east richmond are mostly owned by Indians ������ not chinese.
They usually have 4+ families per a home so I don’t see a problem with them building a bigger home. It’s a different clan based culture where everyone lives together.

True many do not properly farm the land. But can you blame people for buying the cheapest land? Or blame the government for not making people farm farmland?

Anyway the reason large houses on farmland are allowed is because many farms have the workers living in the house. If you go out east it’s the exact same across B.C.

My grandparents who were white lived out their retirement on farmland in east richmond because it was cheap and they liked having a lot of land. So can you stop with the massive amount of racism?

Most chinese came here and worked as slaves building the railroad and working for only a portion of what white people were paid. And now they got to deal with this shit because there are some chinese more successful than you? Racist bastards. We have pretty high wages in Vancouver so instead of bitching how about you work hard and save up like the rest of us.

[svlt]

Originally Posted by Firebrand

Richmond: the stench of the Lower Mainland, filled with money-launderers in the scandalous River Rock Casino, shitty Asian drivers who don't deserve a BC license, and McMansions built in ALR territory by opportunistic landlords.

Well that's certainly a constructive and tolerant point of view.

Personally I'm tired of all the leftist socialist hippie Swanson loving enviro-nuts that dominate the Lower Mainland airspace, that strut around town with dual incomes well exceeding 100k toting anti-development and thinly veiled nativist sentiments, driving 15k civics yet toting $3000 bikes wearing $900 Goretex jackets and acting as if they were some morally superior arbiter of society, hellbent on returning Vancouver to the shitty culturally homogeneous backwater unknown before immigrants came and gave the city some character and provenance to the rest of the world. These people either own their own SFH in Kitsilano or are basement unit renters in Vancouver East, they're both just as bitter and triggered by diversity and economic wealth. "Progressives" my ass.

Also, I'm well aware they are not all white as demonstrated by the protestors showing up at every Chinatown proposal.


Also I think this is an excellent move by the Provincial government. It clearly didn't necessitate the provocative division evidenced by the thought processes in this thread.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by misher

Living in Richmond I take some offense to the comments here.

Those mega mansions in east richmond are mostly owned by Indians ������ not chinese.
They usually have 4+ families per a home so I don’t see a problem with them building a bigger home. It’s a different clan based culture where everyone lives together.

True many do not properly farm the land. But can you blame people for buying the cheapest land? Or blame the government for not making people farm farmland?

Anyway the reason large houses on farmland are allowed is because many farms have the workers living in the house. If you go out east it’s the exact same across B.C.

My grandparents who were white lived out their retirement on farmland in east richmond because it was cheap and they liked having a lot of land. So can you stop with the massive amount of racism?

Most chinese came here and worked as slaves building the railroad and working for only a portion of what white people were paid. And now they got to deal with this shit because there are some chinese more successful than you? Racist bastards. We have pretty high wages in Vancouver so instead of bitching how about you work hard and save up like the rest of us.

You're hilarious Byron, but points for persistence.

Oh, and you're wrong:
One more mega home operating as a hotel on Richmond’s agricultural land is getting attention after a council meeting presentation last week.

Operating on Steveston Highway near No. 3 Road, the “Richmond Fancy Guesthouse” boasts rooms with “individual climate control, an in-room safe, pay TV, a wardrobe and high ceiling for a comfortable stay in Richmond. Bedroom facilities include pillow-top mattresses, down comforters and down pillows,” according to a post on booked.net...
https://www.burnabynow.com/real-esta...tes-1.23195758

With a name like "Richmond Fancy Guest House", it's pretty clear who is operating that flophouse.

Or this:
RICHMOND — The B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office is attempting to seize a $5 million, 13,000 square-foot mansion in rural Richmond that was allegedly used for illegal gambling, money laundering, kidnapping and blood-soaked assaults.

The sprawling eight-bedroom and 11-bathroom property — built on two-acres of Richmond agricultural land reserve — is also at the centre of an anti-gang investigation.

“This is a large and complex investigation,” Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said Friday. “We anticipate charges and arrests.”

A civil forfeiture action filed June 29 in B.C. Supreme Court alleges that defendant Wen Feng, a woman whose listed address is in Aurora, a suburb north of Toronto, bought the Richmond property in October 2015. According to B.C. Assessment Authority records, the sale price was $4.4 million.

But she wasn’t the real owner, and “acted as a nominee or ‘owner of convenience,'” the claim states. The other named defendant, Lap San Peter Pang, is Wen Feng’s brother and “the beneficial or ‘true’ owner of the property,” the claim alleges....
https://www.timescolonist.com/news/b...ond-1.22016855

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I did and I still don't get it. You can build a monster home and still farm the same amount of land as if a small home had been built. A monster home certainly doesn't stop any ability to farm in the future, as can be seen with active farming surrounding some current large homes.

Personally this all seems more like a political issue than anything.

You really shouldn't have to explain land life to a realtor but here goes:

A mega-home being constructed on protected farmland in British Columbia has driven the price of the property up by an astronomical amount.

The seven-bedroom nine-bathroom mansion on No. 2 Rd. in Richmond, B.C. is worth $765,000, according to BC Assessment, a Crown corporation that classifies and values property in the province.

Last year, the 26.6 acres of land was valued at $88,336. With the addition of the home, the value of the land jumped by 9,245 per cent to $8,255,000...

https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-ne...-cent-266.aspx

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by misher

Living in Richmond I take some offense to the comments here.

Those mega mansions in east richmond are mostly owned by Indians ������ not chinese.
They usually have 4+ families per a home so I don’t see a problem with them building a bigger home. It’s a different clan based culture where everyone lives together.

True many do not properly farm the land. But can you blame people for buying the cheapest land? Or blame the government for not making people farm farmland?

Anyway the reason large houses on farmland are allowed is because many farms have the workers living in the house. If you go out east it’s the exact same across B.C.

My grandparents who were white lived out their retirement on farmland in east richmond because it was cheap and they liked having a lot of land. So can you stop with the massive amount of racism?

Most chinese came here and worked as slaves building the railroad and working for only a portion of what white people were paid. And now they got to deal with this shit because there are some chinese more successful than you? Racist bastards. We have pretty high wages in Vancouver so instead of bitching how about you work hard and save up like the rest of us.

Except we literally do not
https://business.financialpost.com/r...ltry-wages-too

Stop accusing people of racism, it helps no one, drop the whole social justice bs, people are fed up with being priced out of their city.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Firebrand

Richmond: the stench of the Lower Mainland, filled with money-launderers in the scandalous River Rock Casino, shitty Asian drivers who don't deserve a BC license, and McMansions built in ALR territory by opportunistic landlords.

Originally Posted by MIPS

AKA: Sleazy Chinese slimeballs doing their status quo.

Originally Posted by MIPS

As much as I acknowledge that racism is unhealthy and borderlines on forum rules, many of us cannot keep a facade that it's all cool and dandy when a particular geographic group has repeatedly indicated not only will they refuse to abide by the local rules but will steamroll any attempts to be nice back to the point it makes broad strokes.

Hard to argue against racist sentiments in this forum when these kind of posts pop up with alarming frequency.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by svlt

Personally I'm tired of all the leftist socialist hippie Swanson loving enviro-nuts that dominate the Lower Mainland airspace, that strut around town with dual incomes well exceeding 100k toting anti-development and thinly veiled nativist sentiments, driving 15k civics yet toting $3000 bikes wearing $900 Goretex jackets and acting as if they were some morally superior arbiter of society, hellbent on returning Vancouver to the shitty culturally homogeneous backwater unknown before immigrants came and gave the city some character and provenance to the rest of the world. These people either own their own SFH in Kitsilano or are basement unit renters in Vancouver East, they're both just as bitter and triggered by diversity and economic wealth. "Progressives" my ass.

Also, I'm well aware they are not all white as demonstrated by the protestors showing up at every Chinatown proposal.

So much this.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You really shouldn't have to explain land life to a realtor but here goes:

A mega-home being constructed on protected farmland in British Columbia has driven the price of the property up by an astronomical amount.

The seven-bedroom nine-bathroom mansion on No. 2 Rd. in Richmond, B.C. is worth $765,000, according to BC Assessment, a Crown corporation that classifies and values property in the province.

Last year, the 26.6 acres of land was valued at $88,336. With the addition of the home, the value of the land jumped by 9,245 per cent to $8,255,000...

https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-ne...-cent-266.aspx

Your explanations aren't the issue. I just don't agree with you

that doesn't stop the same amount of land that can be farmed and just because it's worth more also doesn't stop them from farming it or leasing it out to farm. The government could or should instead enforce people who own alr land to actually farm it (or lease it out to farm) instead of banning large homes. That way it addresses all the shitty properties that become junk yards etc

[djmk]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

You should read the fine print.

24.9% is not farmed with potential.

25.1% is not farmed because instead it is being used for residential, golf courses, parks, or has poor topography / soil conditions.

Essentially that 25.1% directly plays into the problem the province is trying to stop here.

Also out of all the major farming communities (Langley Township, Delta, Surrey, Richmond, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge) is well over 50% being used for active farming. Only Langley Township has a significant portion that is not being farmed with potential.

Alot of the 25.1% is very hard to farm economically. Not only because of the topography but because the lots are too small. Who knows, maybe marijuana will change that!

But you are correct. It does seem that Richmond does not seem to have that much farm land plus it uses it pretty well. Which begs the question, what's up with this thread?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Your explanations aren't the issue. I just don't agree with you

that doesn't stop the same amount of land that can be farmed and just because it's worth more also doesn't stop them from farming it or leasing it out to farm. The government could or should instead enforce people who own alr land to actually farm it (or lease it out to farm) instead of banning large homes. That way it addresses all the shitty properties that become junk yards etc

Funny thing, owners of $8 million homes aren't usually that excited by the smell of manure or farm equipment trundling underneath their bedroom windows.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Funny thing, owners of $8 million homes aren't usually that excited by the smell of manure or farm equipment trundling underneath their bedroom windows.

lol. Whatever

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by svlt

Personally I'm tired of all the leftist socialist hippie Swanson loving enviro-nuts that dominate the Lower Mainland airspace, that strut around town with dual incomes well exceeding 100k toting anti-development and thinly veiled nativist sentiments, driving 15k civics yet toting $3000 bikes wearing $900 Goretex jackets and acting as if they were some morally superior arbiter of society, hellbent on returning Vancouver to the shitty culturally homogeneous backwater unknown before immigrants came and gave the city some character and provenance to the rest of the world. These people either own their own SFH in Kitsilano or are basement unit renters in Vancouver East, they're both just as bitter and triggered by diversity and economic wealth. "Progressives" my ass.

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

Hard to argue against racist sentiments in this forum when these kind of posts pop up with alarming frequency.

This thread feels like I’m on r/vancouver where someone brings up an unrelated but controversial topic, and sparks a flame. Chaos follows immediately after. At least your comments don’t get downvoted here like on Reddit.

And now we have a BC Liberal troll attempting to brigade almost every thread related to housing.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Because nobody needs a home with 10,000 sqft of space in it. They are just ridiculous and un-environmental to build.

Nobody needs a BMW either, should the Province legislate away your right to own yours?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Nobody needs a BMW either, should the Province legislate away your right to own yours?

Yeah, call us when someone’s BMW threaten food security.