New Huetterite Colony coming to County of Barrhead

BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead will become home to a new Hutterite colony.

On May 2, the municipal planning commission (MPC) voted 6-1 to approve an application from the New Rockport Hutterian Brethren, who have an existing colony, in Warner County, near Lethbridge. Coun. Jared Stoik was opposed.

Development officer Jenny Bruns said once the colony is fully-completed, the property that is adjacent to Township Road 594 near Highway 777 will be the home of about 70 residents and have several buildings, including four large roadhouse-style residential units, various shop and canning buildings, a plastic manufacturing plant, assorted farm buildings along with a church and a school.

Construction will start this summer, with an anticipated completion date sometime in 2025.

Bruns noted that the colony has applied to the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) for a potential turkey and chicken operation.

She added that during the construction, the colony proposes to place several ATCO trailers for worker residences.

The land is in an agricultural district, and as such, clustered farm dwellings are allowed as a discretionary use.

Currently, the land is farmed but is vacant.

To be classified as a cluster farm under the county's land-use bylaw, it must have one or more multiple-family dwellings on a farm unit of a minimum of 320 acres, and the residents of the housing units must have to be employed in agriculture or intensive agriculture for at least six months of the year. 

Bruns noted the colony easily meets the 320-acre land requirement. Later in the meeting, in response to a question from Coun. Walter Preugschas, one of the applicants stated that they have set aside more than 4,600 acres or roughly 29 quarters, noting the land straddles both the County of Barrhead and Westlock County.

She also noted that the municipality has approved similar applications to support employment in an agricultural district albeit on a smaller scale, such as the wineries and other agricultural producers that provide housing to part of their workforce on-site.

She added the county has also approved churches and schools in an agricultural district, citing Neerlandia Canadian Reformed Church, Dunstable School and Covenant Canadian Reformed School as examples.

Similarly, Bruns noted that the MPC has also approved general industrial and manufacturing businesses, which she reiterated are discretionary in an agricultural district, such as meat cutting, flour milling and secondary processing, pointing to Richardson Milling specifically.

She added that the plastic manufacturing plant would use various plastics to build small parts.

"The product would be shipped off-site to customers with no retail taking place at the site," Bruns said. "They would have to meet all provincial emissions and regulatory requirements."

As for the proposed poultry operation, Bruns said that was at the discretion of the NRCB but did note the operation would have to comply with the new manure storage regulations.

Coun. Walter Preugschas interjected that the NRCB also has requirements on how far intensive agriculture operations are from residential houses.

"Looking at the map, there are some fairly close," he said. 

Bruns agreed but noted the applicants are working with the NRCB to ensure their site plan meets the requirements.

She said administration recommends that the MPC approve the application, with the typical conditions that the applicant enters into development and road-use agreements, that the ATCO trailers be removed once the residential housing is complete, and that they do not use generators.

Access to the colony would be east to Highway 777 and then out to Highway 18 to minimize the impact on local roads.

However, Bruns said the increase in traffic should be minimal.

"The land is already being farmed, and there is no need to leave the colony to go to school or church," she said.

Preugschas asked if there would be a provision for a dust control requirement in the road-use agreement.

"If it was deemed necessary, it could be included," Bruns said. "It is a standard clause for industry and has to do more with the intensive livestock operations, just to make the cost of any damages to the road are covered."

Coun. Paul Properzi suggested that the plastic business may increase traffic in the area more than expected.

However, the applicant estimates that their plastic operation would only add two trucks per week.

Stoik noted all the previous examples where the municipality approved similar applications were of much smaller scale, asking if there was anything closer to what the New Rockport Hutterite Brethren are proposing.

Bruns said the closest example is Arcana, now known as Northplex.

She added that when they were building their facility, Arcana brought in several temporary foreign workers, and several ATCO trailers were set up on-site.

Stoik was also concerned about the impact that the colony developing the property would have on neighbouring land prices.

"The land prices are going to go up," he said. "If someone, no matter who it is, buys a big chunk of land and develops it, the price of the surrounding land will go up."

Stoik then suggested that they might want to move some of the discussion in-camera.

County manager Debbie Oyarzun responded that while council could opt to do that there are specific guidelines under the province's Freedom of Information Privacy Protect Act (FOIP) that have to be followed and the reason for going in-camera specifically stated before hand.

Reeve Doug Drozd said it was his understanding that under the county's land-use bylaw, development applications for clustered dwellings must include a business plan, adding he did not see such a document in the agenda package.

Bruns replied that although they did not receive a business plan with the application, planning staff did have discussions with the applicants about the viability of the farm.

"There are several models that show this arrangement is self-sufficient. And this situation is a bit unique," she said. "In a regular business plan, they need to make a case if it makes sense to bring in workers. Here the residents are the workers."

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com