Plans for the BX Ranchlands are about to be unveiled to the public.
Over the past year, Vancouver’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Institute for Sustainable Food Systems (ISFS) and the Land to Table Network of the North Okanagan (L2T) have collaborated with the Regional District of the North Okanagan (RDNO) and local stakeholders to prepare a five-year development plan for the BX Ranchlands parcel at 4122 East Vernon Road.
The BX Ranchlands site is a valued community resource for agriculture, recreation, and conservation. The objective of the draft plan is to maintain community access while supporting ecological well-being and encouraging agricultural opportunities for local farmers and growers.
The broader community is now invited to learn about the draft plan and provide feedback.
“We are proposing a unique plan that we believe will benefit the community with ecological protection, new local agricultural opportunities, and space for the next generation of farmers to get hands-on learning experience,” said Amanda Shatzko, RDNO Electoral Area C director.
Anyone with a connection to the BX Ranchlands or an interest in its development is encouraged to attend the BX Ranchlands Open House on Thursday, May 12, at 4122 East Vernon Road, from 3 – 7 pm. ISFS and L2T will give tours of the site, share the draft plan and collect community input.
“Electoral Areas B and C purchased this parcel of land in January of 2021 to ensure it stays in public hands and is used in ways that benefit the community,” said RDNO Area B director Bob Fleming. “Now is your opportunity to learn about the planning we’ve done so far and share your thoughts on the proposed path forward.”
Information and an online survey are also available at: https://landtotablenetwork.com/bx-open-house/.
ISFS and L2T will use the collected input to revise the plan and provide an updated version to the RDNO for consideration in the summer of 2022.
“Working closely with the RDNO and the local community, the BX Ranchlands development plan is an opportunity to further the institute’s mission to engage in multidisciplinary applied research and knowledge mobilization, education and training activities in support of a sustainable food system in the Okanagan bioregion,” said Dr. Kent Mullinix, ISFS director at KPU. “We are excited to present the draft plan and look forward to ongoing collaboration with partners in the future.”
“As a regional food system network, Land to Table is dedicated to working with our partners to create a socially and environmentally just and resilient local food system,” said Liz Blakeway, network director, L2T. “The BX development plan is a step in relocalizing our food system that emphasizes community empowerment and collaboration.”
READ MORE: Vernon group thrilled with BX Ranchlands purchase
READ MORE: BX Ranch proposed as agricultural park
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