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Council contemplates conditional use

Proposed office space needs conditional use approval
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The office space at 151 Industrial Road in Marwell where Whitehorse city council is considering a lease. (John Hopkins-Hill/Yukon News)

As Whitehorse city council contemplates a potential lease for office space at the Calcite Centre in Marwell for city staff, it is also being asked to consider signing off on conditional use approval so the space can be used for offices as planned.

At council’s Jan. 4 meeting, Pat Ross, the city’s manager of land and building services, presented members with a report detailing the proposed conditional use approval being sought for Unit 6 at 151 Industrial Rd.

The building would provide a temporary office space for city staff as the city moves forward with its building consolidation work.

That work has seen the September opening of the new operations building off Range Road along with the opening of a new firehall on Black Street in December to replace the firehall next to city hall where a new services building is planned.

While many staff who worked out of the municipal services building on Fourth Avenue have moved to the operations building, those in land and building services are still working out of the municipal services building which is expected to be demolished and the land sold.

The land and building services staff will eventually move to the new services building.

Until the new services building is open though, the city is planning to lease space and has passed first reading for a lease on Unit 6 at 151 Industrial Rd.

“The location is currently zoned CIM (mixed use commercial/industrial), which allows offices on the ground floor or more than 50 per cent of gross floor area as a conditional use,” Ross stated in his report. “The process to approve the conditional use commences with an application from the proponent, and requires public notification and a public input session prior to an eventual decision by council.”

Coun. Samson Hartland commented that the application coming to council shows transparency.

“It allows residents to see that we are following our own rules,” he said.

The numbered company — 535644 Yukon Inc. — which owns the unit was the only firm to respond to the request for proposals the city put out for office space.

The city would pay $5,800 per month for the 428 square metre space for three years beginning Feb. 1 if the lease agreement goes ahead as proposed.

A public input session on the conditional use will be held Jan. 11 with residents invited to submit their comments to the city at publicinput@whitehorse.ca or in writing to the clerk’s office at city hall.

Following the input session, a report will come forward Jan. 18 with council to vote on the conditional use approval Jan. 25, the same date members are also expected to vote on the final two readings of the lease.

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com



Stephanie Waddell

About the Author: Stephanie Waddell

I joined Black Press in 2019 as a reporter for the Yukon News, becoming editor in February 2023.
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