The Rural Voice, 1981-05, Page 8Are agrominiums
a threat to
agriculture ?
Some farmers think so and though the OMB rejected an
agrominium near the Holland Marsh, they fear Ontario
hasn't seen the last of the idea.
by Herb Shoveller
It was another battle won. but the war
could rage indefinitely.
In late March. for the second time in
two years, a collective sigh of relief came
from West Gwillimbury township. north
of the Holland Marsh. when the Ontario
Municipal Board (OMB) rejected a pro-
posal to establish an agrominium there.
Devon Downs Developments of Toronto.
headed by Jethro Crang, lost again in an
attempt to get permission to implement
the innovative agricultural concept in the
township. After losing the first time.
Crang appealed to the provincial cabinet.
which also ruled against him, but left the
option for an appeal to the OMB, Crang
says he will appeal the new ruling as
well, which means the township residents
may for a third time find themselves
awaiting the outcome of another fight.
With foreign ownership and urban
encroachment already a source of deep
concern in the agricultural community,
farmers and their organizations through-
out the province view agrominiums as yet
another threat to their livelihoods. The
agrominium plan, which Crang, a former
farmer himself, says will help keep
farmland in production, would combine
townhouses or condominums with a
farming enterprise. Home owners would
PG. 6 THE RURAL VOICE/ MAY 1981
also hold shares in the farming operation.
with the actual farming done by a farm
management team.
Crang needs a zoning change to allow
an agrominium on his 606 -acre Bradford
area farm. which is now zoned for
agricultural use only. In the initial plan he
sought to establish 150 units on his 606
acres. When he tried again his second
plan called for only 29 townhouses. each
worth more than $250.000.
The expense of investing the agromin-
ium alone has farmers worried. "At that
kind of investment I can't see anyone
with an agricultural background getting
involved." explained Ron Jones. vice-
president of the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture (OFA). "We perceive the
people who might buy into the scheme
would not be traditional rural people. and
that would have significant impact on the
political and social life of the community.
I think he is a bit of a dreamer. and this is
one of his dreams."
"1 think that's ridiculous." responded
Crang in a phone interview shortly after
the OMB ruling. "He isn't giving a great
deal of credibility to those people w ho
would pay that kind of money. On the
stand he (Jones) blatantly refused to
assume the investors could be farm -
oriented. His response was personal.' •
Elbert van Donkersgoed of the Christ-
ian Farmers Federation of Ontario
(CFFO) shares Jones' concern. He feels
the condominium investors who arc still
in the work force would likely commute to
urban centres for work. still identify with
the urban setting and contribute little to
the life of the community.
"I'm sure the people who arc going to_
end up in the agrominiums are not going
to be rural people." estimated van
Donkersgoed. "My biggest concern is
that they won't be interested in the family
farm."
Crang insists the farming interest of
the buyers will be genuine. He noted. for
example. that individuals do not buy
waterfront property with the intention of
"draining the lake." Sintilarily. in the
agrominium. investors would not intend
to shut down the agricultural operation.
Protection against changes in the farming
project is provided for in the Condomin-
ium Act. said the developer. and it would
take an 80 per cern vote of support from
condominium owners before additional
development would be permitted on the
land. If owners did vote for further
development. they would be required to
go through the entire rezoning process