LACOMBE — Lacombe County council passed bylaw changes on Thursday making it more difficult to subdivide farmland.
But Reeve Terry Engen expressed concerns that the rules, meant to preserve valuable crop land, went too far.
The amendments to the county’s municipal development plan allow only quarter sections not previously subdivided to be carved into smaller pieces. The landowner has a choice of taking out an up to four-acre “first parcel out” residential subdivision or an agricultural subdivision of up to 10 acres for use as a tree farm or other agriculture-related venture.
“This change would still provide opportunity for more intensive agricultural operations on smaller parcels of land but the restriction would help reduce the fragmentation of agricultural lands across the county,” says a report from planner Dale Freitag.
Engen said under the new rules, farm families could find their options for dividing up their land severely limited.
If the county goes too far, it could damage the family farm, he said.
Former county councillor Bob Szasz spoke out strongly against the changes. There are many areas of the county where the land is not well suited to being kept as large tracts for farming. Some hilly areas are better suited to being chopped up into smaller pieces, he said.
The bylaw also makes it more clear when land will be considered fragmented by a water body. In the past, some landowners seeking to subdivide land on the grounds that part of it is isolated by water have based their application on seasonal water bodies that dry up after spring.
Changes leave it up to the province to decide if a wet area is considered a water body if there is doubt. Under legislation, the province has title to watercourses.
Council approved the changes after three councillors voted in favour. Engen and Councillor Keith Stephenson voted against. Councillors Cliff Soper and Bill Knight were absent.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com