In response to a number of complaints, the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) Compliance and Enforcement Officer and City of Richmond Bylaws staff visited a property at 12910 – No. 2 Road in Richmond on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

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. There were also concerns about a number of structures in place that were constructed without the required building permits to confirm safety.

As a result of that visit and subsequent inspections, a number of violations were identified and brought to the attention of the property owner by the ALC and City Bylaws. These included:

• Excessive fill being imported that was used for non-agricultural purposes (i.e. to create a gravel parking lot for approximately 100 vehicles)
• Erection of a commercial tent with an aggregate base for storing commercial items for events and not as a farm roadside stand/market space
• A large glass/metal beam structure with aggregate base and locking plastic tiles used for events
• A small glass/metal beam structure with aggregate base and locking plastic tiles used for events

The above are non-farm uses which, with the associated unauthorized fill, are in contravention of section 20(1) of the Agricultural Land Commission Act which states:

• 20(1) “A person must not use agricultural land for a non-farm use unless permitted by under section 25 or 45 or the regulations.

City staff confirmed that several structures on the site were not constructed in accordance with permitted safety standards, and that some business operations were taking place in contravention of City bylaws. These violations were brought to the attention of the property owner.

The ALC and City of Richmond recognizes these actions have impacted some customers of Athiana Acres. Unfortunately, this situation was the result of non-compliance and the need to ensure public safety is maintained and protected. We will continue to work with the property owner to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.