Whitehorse residents will have their say on the proposed closure of a lane on Second Avenue and Steele Street.
The intersection houses city hall and the former downtown fire hall.
Whitehorse city council passed first reading on the proposed lane closure at its April 26 meeting, prompting a May 10 public hearing as the next step in the process.
The lane extends off of Steele Street between city hall and MacBride Museum, turning toward Second Avenue, between city hall and the shuttered fire hall.
The proposed closure is part of the city’s plan that will see the building of a new services building and transit hub along with a major rebuild and retrofit to city hall. The fire hall on the site will be demolished along with the oldest portion of the city hall building from the Steele Street entrance toward Second Avenue.
As part of the plan, the 12 separate lots and laneway that make up the city’s Second Avenue and Steele Street site need to be consolidated into one. Before that can happen though, the laneway needs to formally be closed.
“Prior to the construction of the service building, these lots, together with the remaining portion of the lane contained in this parcel of land must be passed before the consolidation of the lots can proceed,” it’s noted in a staff report to council.
Following the public hearing at council’s May 10 meeting, a public hearing report will be brought forward to council ahead of second and third reading anticipated for May 25.
It’s expected the new services building, transit hub and city hall will be complete in 2023 with the entire project expected to cost $24 million. A total of $15.7 million has been committed from federal and territorial funding sources.
The work is part of an overall building consolidation project for the city that has seen the opening of the new operations building off Range Road and the new downtown fire hall off Black Street. It will also see parks staff moved into the city’s renovated former transit building in Maxwell with the municipal services building being shut on Fourth Avenue and the land there anticipated to be sold.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com