More than 20 residential lots in seven Yukon communities are up for grabs in the territory’s most recent land lottery.
The Yukon government announced the lottery for the sale of the sites on May 4. The largest number of lots are available in Haines Junction where seven residential properties will be sold through the lottery. Another five residential lots are available in Watson Lake with three country residential lots in Carmacks as well as Mayo, which also has a residential property for sale. Dawson City also has three residential lots available as well as a country residential site, while Faro and Destruction Bay each have a country residential lot available.
The properties range in price from $7,500 for the 280 square metre residential lot in Mayo to $95,200 for a 520 square metre residential lot in Dawson.
In it’s statement the government described the lottery as part of its commitment to making housing more accessible and affordable throughout the territory.
“This lottery is another way that our government is working to meet the housing demands in many of Yukon’s communities,” Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker said in a statement. “We will continue to provide opportunities for Yukoners by meeting the ongoing demand for land across the Yukon.”
In addition to the lottery for the residential sites, three industrial lots are being made available through a tender process. Two of the properties are in Ross River with the other in Dawson.
The two 5,806 square metre lots in Ross River each have a minimum bid price of $16,500, while the 5,028 square metre site in Dawson has a minimum bid price of $122,500.
“Our government is committed to advancing land development in communities across the territory,” Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said. “Working with these communities enables us to bolster their official community plans and create a variety of lots that help meet the demand in the short- and medium-term while also planning for long-term growth.”
Shortly after the lottery was announced on May 4, the Yukon Party Official Opposition released a statement arguing the territory is putting development risks on Yukoners and highlighting a number of caveats for development set out in this lottery as well as pointing to the recent Whistle Bend lottery where construction has not yet been completed to access some lots.
It was noted in Haines Junction, power and communication infrastructure isn’t finished and potential purchasers have been instructed to avoid areas while construction is underway. In Carmacks, purchasers will be responsible for building the driveway, which may require more permits and an assessment by the Yukon Environmental Socio-economic Assessment Board, Yukon Party officials said.
One of the Dawson properties will require a boundary adjustment to be finalized, while another will require the owner to provide the territory with an easement to access a groundwater monitoring well, it was pointed out.
“Throughout the spring sitting, the minister faced criticism for cutting the rural land development budget and delaying Whistle Bend lot construction the past two years,” said Yukon Party MLA and lot development critic Yvonne Clarke. “He now seems to be rushing lots out the door in reaction to the criticism, and we are hearing concerns from Yukoners that the government is transferring risk to lot purchasers.”
Lottery applications and bids will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on May 24 with the lottery draw and bid opening scheduled for May 30.
Lottery and tender packages are available yukon.ca/en/developed-lots-yukon-communities
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com