There will be no new trailers allowed at the Prospector Mobile Home Park. On Monday night, Whitehorse City Council defeated a bylaw that would allow seven new trailer pads to be installed at the park.
The owner of the park first requested the change in May 2011. But the city required that a new playground be installed and the park be cleaned up before more units could be added. A new fenced playground was built, but the area still had broken fences, derelict vehicles and garbage lying around. The city wanted the area cleaned up before new pads were installed.
Bylaw services visited the park earlier this month and reported there was still garbage that needed to be cleaned up, fences that needed to be fixed, and there were unattached trailers and unregistered vehicles in yards and roads.
This does not fully comply with city maintenance laws, Dave Pruden, manager of bylaw services told council on Monday. Most changes could be made fairly quickly, Pat Ross, manager of planning services, told council. But the owner has not had much contact with the city, Ross said.
Administration recommended the bylaw go to third and final reading.
Coun. Betty Irwin disagreed that a cleanup could happen so fast. “It will take longer than two months to clean up that space,” she said, adding two years may not be enough time.
But not all councillors were convinced. Council has “dropped the ball” on this issue, Coun. John Streicker said. He voted against defeating the recommendation.
The Municipal Act says bylaws must be passed within two years of their first introduction. Because council did not pass the bylaw, the owner must re-apply to be allowed to add new trailer spaces.