Maple Ridge wants to make a major change to its urban footprint by gobbling up green space without first going to the public, says a crusader who fought to save Jackson Farm.

Proposed changes to land uses as part of Metro Vancouver’s review of its long-term plan add up to 283 hectares, says Stuart Pledge.

When that’s combined with 15 hectares removed previously from the old Green Zone, another 298 hectares (735 acres) of green space in Maple Ridge could switch from rural to urban.

“I just don’t think there’s much public awareness of the extent,” of the applications, he said.

During the last year, Maple Ridge council has sent requests to have six areas in Metro Vancouver’s long-term plan, the Regional Growth Strategy, either designated urban or remain urban instead of rural.

Those areas include the Albion flats, a small chunk of land just west of Jackson Farm, two small sites near Golden Ears Way, and an area south of 128th Avenue and west of 232nd Street.

Pledge says another council request to keep a Metro Vancouver designation of urban on a big chunk of land south of Silver Valley, which could be up to 120 hectares, conflicts with Maple Ridge’s Official Community Plan.

“None of this is in the OCP. It’s all new and there’s been no public process about it.

“It says right in the OCP there has to be a public process for any boundary changes.”

Chapter 2 of Maple Ridge’s plan says changing the urban area boundary can only be done as part of a “comprehensive official community plan review” or urban area boundary review.

And he says Maple Ridge is going about the process backwards. Instead of consulting the public, then formally applying to Metro Vancouver for permission to change its boundary (requiring two-thirds approval of the Metro Vancouver board), Pledge says Maple Ridge wants Metro Vancouver to agree to the changes, then use that as justification for urbanization.

On the other hand, Maple Ridge always rejects Metro Vancouver interference, he pointed out.

He said that council rejected northward suburban expansion to Silver Valley in 2006 when it wrote its new Official Community Plan, in return for keeping Thornhill urban reserve as the next expansion area.

Yet now it’s proposing to keep land south of Silver Valley as urban, and maintain Thornhill as well.

“These are the areas that we decided not to develop, in favour of the Thornhill urban reserve.”

But Mayor Ernie Daykin said changing Metro Vancouver’s land-use designations does not mean Maple Ridge’s urban boundary changes.

For that to happen, Maple Ridge would have to have rezone the land, which would trigger a public hearing.

Providing services such as water or sewer also would need Metro Vancouver’s approval, he pointed out.

Coun. Judy Dueck said changing Metro Vancouver’s designations just saves Maple Ridge having to get regional approval later on, which could be difficult under a new plan.

“We can’t arbitrarily change the OCP designations in our OCP.” That would require a public hearing.

Maple Ridge would also need to change its context statement (explaining how its plan fits with Metro Vancouver’s plan), which would require a public process, she pointed out.

And, for example, if Metro Vancouver agreed to an urban designation for Albion flats, Maple Ridge would still have to have a public hearing as part of the rezoning and changing the land designation. And that would have to be preceded by an Albion area plan, again requiring public input.

Pledge, though, says once an area has an urban designation on it, it’s much easier to develop.

“You get a bunch of small things every couple of years.

“The whole point is, we don’t need to grow anymore in this area. If we keep growing like this, the aspects of our community that people constantly state that they like about the place, this rural atmosphere, will be gone.”

Allowing such growth also hurts the downtown because it draws investment dollars away from the core area, he added.