A look at issues discussed by Whitehorse city council at its March 21 meeting and an extension to the open burning season.
Open burning extended
The Whitehorse Fire Department is extending the open burning season beyond March 31st in light of the remaining snowpack and gradual warming temperatures.
Current burning permits can be extended until April 17th, and new permits can be activated by contacting Whitehorse Fire and Protective Services, the city said in a March 24 statement.
A fire is not to be ignited before receiving approval and if conditions become unfavourable, permits will be revoked.
Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the extended season to begin FireSmart activities, the city said.
Under normal circumstances, open burning is not allowed within Whitehorse city limits between April 1st and September 30th, except for cooking fires.
Residents can visit whitehorse.ca/woodburning for more information on how to obtain an open burning permit.
Caretaker suite proposed
A local family is asking the city for a conditional use approval that would allow them to have a 157 square metre caretaker residence on the Tlingit Street property they are proposing to run a U-Haul rental business.
The application, including plans for the property at 238 Tlingit Street, came forward at Whitehorse city council’s March 21 meeting.
The plans for the U-Haul rentals would complement the existing storage business the family has next door to the property.
The property is zoned FN-CIM (First Nations – Mixed-Use Commercial Industrial. Under that zoning a caretaker suite larger than 120 square metres must be approved as a conditional use.
The family is proposing to build a two-storey structure with commercial space on the ground floor and a caretaker residence with three bedrooms on the second level.
In a letter to the city, Josie Martin, the vice-president of Titanium Storage who with her husband is seeking the conditional use approval, highlighted their plans noting their family is proposing the plans as a way to create work-life balance.
The couple has two children, ages seven and 14. She noted that while there may be concerns about having children in the neighbourhood, her children are “beyond the stage of young children needing parks and playgrounds nearby to play.
“Our family has been working in Marwell with children in tow for over seven years. They live within our work lives, inadvertently working in and on the business, not playing in parks.”
A public input session on the proposed conditional use will be held at the March 28 city council meeting with a report on the session coming to council April 4. Council is expected to make a decision on the matter April 11.
Rezoning proposed
The proposed rezoning of a Drift Drive property in Copper Ridge would allow for a living suite in the home on the property. The proposed rezoning was brought forward at Whitehorse city council’s March 21 meeting.
The owners of 1 Drift Drive are asking the city to rezone the Restricted Residential (RR) zoned property to Residential Singe Detached (RS) to allow for a living suite in the home.
The RR zone limits development to single detached homes on large, serviced lots, while the RS zone provides more options, including living suites and garden suites as secondary uses.
First reading of the rezoning will come forward March 28. If council approves first reading, a public hearing will be held at council’s April 25 meeting. A report on the hearing would then come forward May 16, followed by second and third reading May 24.
Summer roadwork planned
The City of Whitehorse is getting for summer paving projects.
At Whitehorse city council’s March 21 meeting, Taylor Eshpeter, the city’s manager of engineering services, brought forward recommendations that council authorize staff to move ahead with procurement for both the asphalt overlay work planned for the summer as well as the rural roads surfacing program, which sees BST surfacing work to roads primarily in more rural subdivisions in town.
Both the asphalt and rural roads surfacing contracts are expected to be more than $500,000 and must be authorized by council before procurement begins.
The 2022 asphalt overlay work will see work on Fourth Avenue from Black Street to Ogilvie Street; Range Road from Whistle Bend Way to McIntyre Creek; and Two Mile Hill from Industrial Road to Range Road.
Meanwhile, the plans for BST would see surfacing work done on parts of War Eagle Way; Fish Lake Road; Range Road North; Wickstrom Road; and Miles Canyon Road.
Inspections to BST work done last year in Mary Lake are also planned as that work is still under warranty.
If council approves the procurements going ahead, tender documents for each the asphalt overlay and BST surfacing will be released in March with contracts to be awarded in April.
Both projects would start in June with the BST surfacing work expected to be finished in August and the asphalt overlay work anticipated to be complete in September.
Council will vote on whether to go ahead with each of the contracts at its March 28 meeting.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com
