Adapting our Garden Centre in Kelowna: Navigating ALR Regulations and the Future of Farm Retail
You may have noticed some changes as Kel Lake opens this season and we thought it would be best to address them in a blog post so we can inform our customers about that is going on.
Running Kel Lake Garden Centre in Kelowna and on agricultural land has always meant being closely tied to the rhythms of the season. But today, that relationship is no longer just seasonal—it’s regulatory. With rules under the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), our garden centre is being asked to rethink not just what we sell, but how we exist.
At the heart of this shift is a simple demand: farmland must primarily be used for farming.
The Reality of ALR Regulations
The ALR was created to protect one of British Columbia’s scarcest resources—farmland. In fact, only about 5% of the province is included in the reserve, making it tightly controlled.
Under the governing legislation, non-farm uses are heavily restricted. Retail activity—like what our garden centre relies on—is only permitted when it is clearly secondary to farming.
Recent strict interpretations and bylaws across municipalities (including those influencing Kelowna) reinforce limits on the size and scope of retail spaces. For example:
Farm retail sales areas are typically capped (often around 300 m² total which is the footprint that is allowable for Kel Lake).
Some local bylaws further restrict building footprints or accessory retail uses to even smaller scales (e.g., 200 m²).
Why This Matters for Kel Lake
Traditional garden centres often function like hybrid retail stores—selling everything from pottery and patio furniture to fertilizers, tools, and decorative items. Under ALR rules, that model is difficult to justify.
In the Spring of 2023 we went before council at the City of Kelowna to ask for a small portion of nonfarm use of our property so we could continue to sell products that customers had come to rely on purchasing from us for the past 14 years. Unfortunately, our request was denied by council.
To comply and reduce further being fined from the City of Kelowna we must increasingly resemble a farm operation first—and a store second.
This creates two immediate challenges:
1. Product Mix Restrictions
The good news is that a significant portion of what we sell is grown or produced on-site. In fact, regulations often expect that a meaningful share of retail inventory comes directly from the farm itself, which it does. Whew! :)
2. Reduced Retail Footprint
We will not longer be able to sell aggregate and have had to remove bulk mulch and soil amendments from our retail offerings. We have also had to downsize the amount of hardgoods we sell so that they fit within the 300 m2 footprint deemed acceptable by the Agricultural Land Reserve. This is why we have had a big sale on hardgoods to start the season so we can comply with the rules.
We want to thank our customers for their loyalty and understanding and know we are actively working on a solution to start selling bulk aggregate, mulch and amendments again at a location very close to Kel Lake’s current location! We are so grateful to have an amazing community that supports our small business and allows us to do what we love to do.
Anna and Jeremy