This process to reverse the…

This process to reverse the decision to remove the 15 land parcels from the Greenbelt, particularly Book Road was terribly flawed just as the proposal to put the lands into the Greenbelt was flawed. We understand tender fruit lands were removed but our property was put into the Greenbelt. Tender fruit lands are rare and more agriculturally significant than regular farmland. Reputedly this was a politically motivated decision rather than a sound ecological one.

More broadly and of great importance to address is that there are serious policy gaps related to zoning changes.
If a landowner receives a boost in land value from a zoning change then they are taxed on the gain in value when they sell. However if zoning negatively changes the value of a land parcel there is NO compensation for the landowner. This was the case for our Book Road-property enormous value (millions) has been lost to our family who has owned the land for generations by this zoning reversal. It really is similar to an “expropriation for the public good” There should be compensation to the landowners for this loss in value.