The federal office building on Range Road is now part of the Public Land Bank – meaning it could be the future site of a housing development.
Right now, the land hosts a federal office building. However, its addition to the Public Land Bank – a pool of federal properties deemed suitable for housing – signals it may have a different future in store. According to the press release issued on Nov. 19, the government will turn the properties into housing via long-term leases, to “support affordable housing and ensure public land stays public.” The Range Road property is the first and so far only property in the Yukon that the federal government has added to the Public Land Bank, according to the Land Bank’s website.
According to MP Brendan Hanley, putting the property onto the Public Land Bank essentially puts it on the auction block, with the caveat that it wouldn’t be for sale but rather a long-term lease agreement.
"This is the beginning of the conversation,” said Hanley. He said the next step will be parties – developers or local First Nations, for example – coming forward and expressing interest.
In September 2023, then-city councillor Ted Laking filed a motion for the city to write to federal government, asking them to release federal lands in Whitehorse for the purpose of housing – including the property on Range Road. The motion passed unanimously in October 2023.
READ MORE: Hurry and release federal lands for housing, Whitehorse city councillor urges
Laking, who did not run for re-election in the 2024 municipal election, told the News he thinks the announcement constitutes progress.
However, Laking said, there are still many questions that need answering.
“What happens to those buildings are, is there asbestos in those buildings? Who's responsible for disposing of those buildings? Because that could increase the cost to any potential development,” said Laking.
The buildings at 419 and 421 Range Road are currently listed on the national inventory of asbestos in buildings as having a known presence of asbestos. According to the inventory, the buildings also have asbestos management plans in place. Asbestos is a material used to insulate buildings: it can cause lung and chest cancers if the fibres are disturbed and inhaled.
Laking also said the area is zoned for commercial purposes. Rezoning can delay development, so the city should consider proactively rezoning the lots for housing purposes, he added.
The Yukon government will also have to chip in to ensure any housing development has necessary infrastructure like sewers, said Laking.
“We need to do the underground stuff,” said Laking. “And that stuff, you know, doesn't always look as good in the press release or on the front page of the paper in the photo, because it's just a hole in the ground, but it is so essential.”
The Range Road property is currently listed as being “open for feedback” on the Land Bank’s interactive online map – not “open for sale.” As of Nov. 28, 2024, only three properties out of the 83 listed on the Land Bank’s map are currently open for offers.
Hanley said he wasn’t aware of other Yukon properties being considered for the Public Land Bank. He said other properties along Range Road have been identified in past years, but it’s the 419 to 421 Range Road property that has been earmarked by the federal government for now.
“I think as far as future properties, I think we'll have to see what becomes potentially identified in the years to come,” said Hanley.
People can submit proposals to the bank for federal property that is not in use and has potential for housing. According to the Public Land Bank website, the review of underutilized and surplus properties is ongoing.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
