Residents will have a chance on July 26 to tell the City of Whitehorse exactly what they think of the next planned phase of Whistle Bend.
At Whitehorse city council’s June 28 meeting, members passed first reading of the zoning bylaw for Phase 8 of the Whistle Bend neighbourhood, prompting a public hearing to be scheduled. It is set for July 26.
The proposed zoning would see 17 single detached, 47 townhouse and three multifamily lots developed, for an estimated 90 residential units in the area that would be built in two sections — one an extension to Witch Hazel Drive, the other an extension to Rampart Street.
The precise number of total lots will be confirmed through detailed engineering and subdivision.
The Witch Hazel Drive section is proposed for medium density developments such as townhouses and apartments with the Rampart Street section to include the same medium density developments as well as low density housing such as single detached and duplex homes.
In addition to the housing Phase 8 would bring, there would also be a paved trail around the northern section of Phase 8 and another paved trail along a utility right of way west of Phase 7.
Before voting with the rest of council in favour of first reading of the bylaw, Coun. Steve Roddick said he’s glad this will create more housing lots in the city.
At the same time, he cited concerns with the Yukon government’s lottery process to purchase lots, noting it is common for many people to put their names in the lottery to help ensure one person will get the property. He also said it appears there are some developers who end up with many lots. While some may not see it as a concern, Roddick said “it doesn’t sit well with me.”
Roddick did not make any suggestions on the matter, but said he wanted to flag it as a “matter of interest” at this point. Following the public hearing on the zoning for Phase 8, a report on the hearing will come forward to council at its Sept. 7 meeting before the final two readings on Sept. 13. It’s expected lots in Phase 8 would be available in 2022.
In the meantime, work is also underway to plan for the Phases 9 and 10.
As it was noted in an earlier staff report to council: “(Yukon government) and city staff are currently discussing minor changes from the original land use concept for Phases 9 and 10, which would require revisiting the servicing design as part of the detailed engineering.
“Zoning amendments for Phases 9 and 10 will be brought forward once this work is complete.”
The last Yukon government land lottery saw more than 800 applicants vying for properties primarily in Whistle Bend.
Among them were 140 single detached and duplex sites, 11 multifamily, 20 townhouse and eight commercial sites in the neighbourhood along with a further five country residential lots in Hidden Valley.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com
