The farm market at Athiana Acres in Steveston will be closed for the rest of the season.
The managing director of the farm market, Simran Panatch, said they had hoped to pause for a short term after the city and the Agricultural Land Commission complained about some structures and the gravel parking lot.
However, she added, they’ve made the “very difficult decision” to cancel the market for the rest of the 2025 season, which was originally going to run until the end of October.
“We understand this decision impacted not just our team, but our vendors and community, and we do not take that lightly,” she said in a media release.
Richmond city bylaw staff and ALC staff visited the farm on June 11, and they claimed some of the activity was “non-compliant” with farm uses.
Specifically, they said “excessive” fill was brought in for a parking lot, and that there were two structures and a commercial tent erected on the property.
“The property, known as Athiana Acres, was reportedly conducting business activities and events that were non-compliant with the permitted operations on ALR-designated land,” the city and the ALC said in a joint statement. “There were also concerns about a number of structures in place that were not constructed with the required building permits to confirm safety.”
The market was closed on June 27.
Panatch countered these claims by the city and the ALC, saying the commercial tent is a temporary tent that was used last season as their farmstand.
“It was being readied for use again this summer, once more (when) our field produce became available,” she said.
And while the city and the ALC claimed there were two “glass/metal beam structures,” one large and one small, Panatch said the large one was made of plastic panels and it has been dismantled and removed.
The smaller one is the farm’s greenhouse that’s used for “propagation of farm crops and the trialling of citrus and tropical plants.” It’s also been used for small farm workshops, she added.
As for fill in the parking lot, Panatch explained the area is partially the farm’s staging area and is used for storing and moving farm equipment and material. However, on market days, it was cleared to allow visitors to park safely on the property.
Panatch said they were “surprised and disappointed” to learn these elements were characterized as “non-farm use.”
“Everything in question was implemented in good faith to support the growth of our agricultural operations — not to operate an events venue,” she said. “We have reached out to both the ALC and the city for clarification and are committed to working collaboratively to resolve any outstanding concerns. Unfortunately, the lack of clarity and timeline around this situation has left us in a difficult position.”
The City of Richmond is continuing to work with Athiana Acres on the non-compliance issues, according to city spokesperson Clay Adams.
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