At their November 5 public meeting, Niverville’s council approved a request from Artel Farms Land Co Ltd. to subdivide approximately 260 acres of land bordering Highway 311 from Krahn Road to Sood Road.
This parcel of land, owned by Grant and Colleen Dyck of Niverville, is currently under agricultural use. As per the landowner’s request, the section is now eligible for subdivision into five separate parcels.
If the Dycks proceed with the subdivision, the new boundaries will allow them to cordon off their homestead at the southeast corner.
According to CAO Eric King, the only requirement left is for the couple to obtain variance orders as needed to meet zoning compliance.
“This is land that has been inside of Niverville since the time that the dike [was built], so roughly 1997 or ‘98,” say Mayor Myron Dyck. “[The owner] has yet to reveal their intention. We look forward to working with this landowner to see what role they may wish for us to play.”
Considering council’s previously expressed intention to grow Niverville’s commercial to the west boundary of town, the land Highway 311 offers great commercial potential should the landowners choose to sell.
Grant Dyck has owned this section of land since 2000, and his father owned it before that. Dyck says they’ve been anticipating the need to transition this parcel of land for the past 25 years.
“For more than 50 years, Artel Farms has been proud to operate within the community, but the realities of our location within the town limits have become increasingly challenging,” Dyck says. “Operating a grain farm on land that is now adjacent to a growing town has raised numerous logistical and safety concerns. As much as we recognize the importance of Niverville's growth, we are also acutely aware of the difficulties our farm faces in balancing its operations with the safety and well-being of the growing population.”
For now, though, he says, the move to subdivide the land is a matter of being proactive. There is no current buyer waiting in the wings. To relocate his current homestead and outbuildings to a new location would be an expensive endeavor, so he’s hopeful that, when the time comes, the sale of this land will help offset some of those costs.
