Proposed bylaw in Sturgeon County could limit agribusiness operating hours
A proposed bylaw in Sturgeon County could limit operating hours for agribusinesses such as U-picks, market gardens and corn mazes.
The county north of Edmonton is proposing limiting operating hours of agribusinesses that bring commercial customers to their farms to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
According to the county, when it adopted its land use bylaws 20 years ago, these types of businesses weren't as prevalent. Now that it's rewriting those bylaws, restricting the hours these businesses operate is up for discussion.
Clayton Kittlitz, the county's manager of planning and development, says over the past two years they held public events for feedback and received complaints about these businesses.
"They did express some impacts with late evening events or activities that do have an impact on their quality of life," he said.
"One of the things the land use bylaw tries to do is to try to find a balance so that everyone has the right to enjoy their property but also improve it."
Kittlitz said it's important that regulated hours for customers not affect farming operations such as harvesting, watering crops and anything else involved in production.
"But the commercial customer retail customer visit would be regulated, potentially, depending on where the site is and what the circumstances are," he said.
'It really undermines our customer base'
Tammy Andersen owns Prairie Gardens and Farms in Sturgeon County, and she worries the proposed bylaw could affect her bottom line.
She sells vegetables and trees, and hosts corn mazes, family events and dinners.
Their farm is open to the public until 9 p.m. seven days a week. She's worried the bylaw will affect her sales, along with similar businesses in the area.
"It really undermines our customer base," Andersen said.
"We find that people tend to work in the day time and come out to the greenhouse in the garden in the evenings and that's how they like to support a local greenhouse.
"Essentially we wouldn't be open when they came to buy their flowers and we'd lose all of that customer base."
The proposed land use bylaw will be discussed at a public meeting in Morinville on Feb. 28.
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Travis.Mcewan@cbc.ca
