Rural Affordable Housing Project

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Rural Affordable Housing Project 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Final Report 
submitted to the Denman Community Land Trust Association  by 
 
Jenny Balke 
DVM MS RP Bio
 
Ecofocus Environmental Consultants 
 
June 2013 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Funded by the Comox Valley Housing Task Force

Rural Affordable Housing Project 
 
 1
 
 
Executive Summary 
 
The Rural Affordable Project of the Denman Community Land Trust Association, funded by the Comox 
Valley Housing Task Force, examined affordable housing opportunities for those wishing to live and farm 
in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).  The issue was explored through research and consultation with 
local community members, as well as with regional agricultural groups and initiatives, and then in 
discussion with Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) planners.  Existing and potential farmer-housing 
opportunities in the ALR and their stumbling blocks were investigated using the circumstances on Denman 
Island as a model.   
 
Major issues for current and prospective farmers were the high cost of purchasing land, the lack of 
available affordable farm-labour, the loss of agricultural knowledge and farm production due to the 
advancing age of the majority of current farming landowners, and the increasing ownership of land by non-
farmers. In all these issues, the principle need was for affordable-housing of those who wished to farm.  
The major stumbling block to addressing this need was the lack of suitable regulatory provisions to 
accommodate affordable farmer-housing options in the ALR. 
 
Five recommendations are proposed. 1. For respective government agencies together with the ALC and in 
concert with local communities to develop locally-appropriate solutions to three major ALC concerns. 
These solutions would include first, criteria to justify the need for additional farmer-residences; second, 
criteria to clearly demonstrate what is meant by minimum impact of a residence on agricultural land; and 
third, practical, legal methods to ensure that additional residences remain only occupied by bone fide 
farmers.   2. For secondary suites to be permitted by local governments on bone fide farms.  3.  For 
moveable housing units to be allowed without the need for permanent foundations. 4. For the definition of a 
moveable housing units to include various types of suitable construction, not just industrial-manufactured 
homes. 5. For government agencies together with local organizations to enable cooperative multiple-farmer 
family housing within the ALR.  This would mean facilitating the development of an acceptable regulatory 
framework, permitting trials and evaluating the resulting models.  All five recommended options would 
enhance the housing options for future farmers, and thus would encourage future farm production in the 
ALR. 
 
 

Rural Affordable Housing Project 
 
 2
 
Acknowledgements 
 
The Rural Affordable Housing Project was funded by the ‘Building Capacity to Address Homelessness’

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