The next move for a South Surrey golf course whose owners are hoping for future residential development is a public hearing about removing just over 50 acres from the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Joe Haley and business partner Randy Bishop purchased The Hills at Portal, formerly known as Peace Portal, in October of 2021. Because the portion of the course they want to develop is within the ALR, they made an application via the city for an ALR exclusion for an approximately 20.5-hectare (50.65-acre) portion of the 150-acre golf course site for future residential development purposes.
At a regular council land use meeting March 10, Surrey council voted to set the public hearing for Monday, April 14, as the Agricultural Land Commission requires that a public hearing be held prior to the application being sent to the ALC for review.
They say the move would mean a nice, that everyone can enjoy 鈥� not just golfers.
At the March 10 meeting, Coun. Mike Bose supported the move to send the proposed ALR exclusion to public hearing.
"As a former land commissioner, the importance of this and the potential for setting precedent is why I'm going to support it going to public hearing," he said. "I think it's a great process for the public to make comment and for council to get a good understanding of what the implications of this are."
Coun. Mandeep Nagra was the sole council member to oppose the hearing, saying "there's definitely no need to take any land out of the ALR."
Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell had some thoughts on the hearing, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 14, as well.
"We've still had zero communication with anybody in regards to (Haley and Bishop's) application to the ALR and ALC, whether it's the city, whether it's the landowners ... we had an initial conversation last year 鈥� one of our council members did with the owners 鈥� but there was no follow-up and nothing ever came from that," he said. "We're kind of going, 'Wow. How does that impact us as a First Nation right across the road?' ... and I hope that the ALC and the province of British Columbia recognize that as well."
Chappell said he feels he and Semiahmoo First Nation are treated differently than developers who want to build new homes in Surrey.
"I feel that developers are first and foremost when it comes to the South Surrey area, and we at Semiahmoo 鈥� we've been advocating for services and supports in our community for years and ... that's an ongoing challenge we have. We're told that we aren't part of the Regional Growth Strategy, so I'm curious how a project such as this 鈥� which would definitely not be a part of the Regional Growth Strategy because it's in the ALR 鈥� how would they be leapfrogged to the front of the line? Or (in)to the line at all?"
Chappell said he doesn't understand why a project just across the road from Semiahmoo First Nation seems to be seen by the city as "a great idea."
"I know it's new to the table 鈥� it's definitely not part of the growth strategy for Surrey, but all of a sudden, it is given attention where unfortunately, Semiahmoo isn't."
He said he was hopeful the City of Surrey would have "at least open a dialogue and a conversation with the nation, but unfortunately that hasn't happened."
He and SFN members had been considering on the South Surrey reserve, but after delays and funding that was pulled, the project must go back to discussions with the municipality about servicing SFN properties, Chappell said.
"We are at a limited capacity for servicing ourselves (with) water and sewer," he noted. "Because we're not part of the Regional Growth Strategy, we were never included in growth in the region. ... I may just pick up the conversation with the province and the ALC instead. It might be easier for us to go that route."
