If you own farmland in Surrey, Delta, or Langley Township, pay attention to what’s happening at the regional planning level. A significant policy debate is underway, and its outcome will likely affect how agricultural land is perceived, valued, and contested in the years ahead.

In August 2025, the mayors of Surrey, Delta, and Langley Township sent a joint letter to Metro Vancouver’s board of directors requesting changes to the Urban Containment Boundary — the regional policy that defines where urban development can and cannot occur. They’ve called the current rules outdated and say the system is blocking their ability to plan for housing, employment land, and services in the fastest-growing part of the region.

This isn’t just a planning debate. For farm and acreage owners, it has real implications.

What Is the Urban Containment Boundary?

Metro Vancouver’s Urban Containment Boundary, or UCB, was established in 1996. The idea was straightforward: draw a line around where urban growth is permitted, and protect everything outside it — farmland, wetlands, parks, and environmentally sensitive areas — from urban sprawl.

Under the Metro 2050 regional plan, which all municipal governments previously approved, 98 per cent of future urban growth is supposed to happen within the existing UCB. Only the areas inside that boundary are eligible for housing developments, industrial parks, commercial zones, and the infrastructure that supports them.

The problem the three mayors are raising is one of math. In Langley Township, for example, only 19 per cent of the municipality’s 307 square kilometres sits inside the UCB. The other 81 per cent is rural — much of it protected ALR land — where urban development is not permitted. Surrey and Delta face similar constraints.

What the Three Mayors Are Asking For

Their proposal has three parts.

First, they want the UCB updated to allow expansion into areas that are not ALR land and not environmentally sensitive — land that can realistically be served by existing or planned infrastructure and built into complete communities.

Second, they want a simpler and faster approval process. Currently, changing the UCB requires a two-thirds majority vote from Metro Vancouver’s board. The mayors want to reduce that threshold to a simple majority for expansions that meet certain criteria.

Third, for smaller, site-specific adjustments that align with a municipality’s existing Official Community Plan, they want local governments to be able to make changes simply by notifying Metro Vancouver — skipping the full amendment process altogether.

Why This Matters for ALR Land and Farm Owners

Here’s where it gets specific to agricultural land.

The UCB and the Agricultural Land Reserve are two separate but closely related systems. The ALR is a provincial designation that protects BC’s most productive farmland from non-agricultural use. The UCB is a regional tool that draws the development boundary. In many parts of Surrey, Delta, and Langley, the ALR sits just outside — or directly adjacent to — the UCB.

When the UCB expands, it doesn’t automatically bring ALR land with it. But the pressure that follows often does.

We’ve already seen this play out in Surrey with South Campbell Heights — a 552-acre expansion of an industrial area that required moving the UCB southward and that has involved ongoing discussions about adjacent ALR parcels. As Metro Vancouver faces a worsening industrial land shortage, there is growing pressure on ALR land bordering established or newly designated industrial zones.

If the UCB is relaxed and new urban growth areas are created in these three municipalities, the land immediately adjacent to those areas — including some ALR parcels — will see increased interest from developers, speculators, and industrial users looking for expansion room. That can drive speculative pricing and complicate the picture for farmers who simply want to operate their land.

What This Could Mean for Farm Values

It’s too early to predict exactly how this will unfold. Metro Vancouver’s board has not yet voted to change the policy. The provincial government has its own role to play, particularly when ALR land is involved — the Agricultural Land Commission remains the body responsible for any ALR exclusion decisions.

But history in the Fraser Valley shows that when regional planning boundaries shift, land values in the surrounding area respond. Farmland adjacent to expanding industrial or urban zones tends to attract more attention — and more offers — from buyers who are not primarily interested in farming.

For operating farmers, this can be a mixed signal. It may increase the paper value of their land, but it can also bring pressure to sell, difficulty renewing farm financing, and complications for succession planning.

For sellers, the timing question becomes more nuanced. If UCB changes are approved and development activity moves southward into Surrey and Langley, land positioned near new growth areas may attract a broader buyer pool — not just agricultural operators, but investors and industrial end-users.

For buyers looking to acquire farmland for genuine agricultural use, the risk is that speculative pricing makes viable farm properties harder to afford. Due diligence matters more, not less, when the planning environment is in flux.

What to Watch in the Fraser Valley

The most immediate areas to monitor are the outer edges of Surrey’s and Langley Township’s current UCB, particularly land near existing industrial corridors, highway access points, and areas Metro Vancouver has designated as potential “Special Study Areas” for future planning consideration.

Delta, with its significant concentration of agricultural land in Boundary Bay and the Ladner and Tsawwassen areas, is a different story. The municipality has a large proportion of high-quality farmland, and any UCB expansion there would face significant scrutiny from both the ALC and environmental interests.

None of this plays out overnight. Regional planning changes in Metro Vancouver tend to move slowly, and any UCB adjustments will require political consensus, provincial review in some cases, and infrastructure commitment. But the direction of intent from three of the region’s most influential South of Fraser municipalities is now clear.

Farm and acreage owners in these areas would be well-served to understand where their land sits relative to current and proposed UCB boundaries, and what the planning trajectory of their area looks like over the next five to ten years.

A Practical Note for Landowners

If you own ALR land in Surrey, Delta, or Langley Township, this is not a reason to panic or rush into a sale. But it is a reason to be informed.

Know your soil class, your farm use designation, and your property’s position relative to regional planning boundaries. If you’re considering a sale, a refinancing, or a generational transition in the next few years, understand that the policy environment around your land may be changing — and that having a clear-eyed view of your land’s value, beyond just the home or current crop revenue, will matter.

Buyers should also conduct careful due diligence on zoning, ALR status, and any active planning studies or OCP amendments that may affect the long-term use and value of a property they’re considering.

Farm owners should speak with their lawyer or accountant before making major decisions tied to speculative planning outcomes.

If you own a farm, acreage, or ALR land in Surrey, Delta, Langley, or anywhere in the Fraser Valley, Farms In BC Real Estate Group can help you understand how regional planning changes may affect your property’s value and your options going forward. Whether you’re thinking about selling, planning a family transition, or simply want a clearer picture of where your land sits in today’s market, we’re here for a confidential conversation. Contact Nav Sekhon at 604-782-0988 for a farm and acreage market evaluation.