The public has a date with the Albion flats concept plan on March 30 in the lobby outside Maple Ridge council chambers, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Council forwarded the plan at its Tuesday meeting, as one of the next steps in creating a plan for the area along Lougheed Highway and 105th Avenue.
Following public consultation last fall, and four options presented by a consultant, council opted for one of the scenarios that included commercial, business and recreational development of both sides of 105th Avenue.
Then it added a recreation centre, farm buildings, a farmer’s market, an agricultural training centre, food education institute and community gardens and a neighbourhood pub to the vision.
After it weighs public response to the ideas, the plan will be shipped off to the Agricultural Land Commission for comment. Most of Albion flats lies within the Agricultural Land Reserve.
While Coun. Linda King welcomed the public input, she doesn’t support the plan, saying too much is crammed on to the land.
King said she favours some shopping in the area, just not the amount proposed in the plan.
“I’m not sure we even have the population for this.”
The plan proposes that commercial and light industrial occupy 2.7 million square feet.
She also pointed out that there’s still no agricultural offset included for removing the land from farm production if development occurs.
However, staff will review measures taken in other municipalities where farmland was lost to development.