Whitehorse Daily Star

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City Planner Kindon Kosick and Coun. Betty Irwin

Council to vote on Whistle Bend’s next phase

Plans for Phase 6 of the Whistle Bend neighbourhood could be more clear after next week’s council meeting.

By Stephanie Waddell on July 31, 2018

Plans for Phase 6 of the Whistle Bend neighbourhood could be more clear after next week’s council meeting.

That’s when council members are slated to vote on the two final readings for the zoning of that part of the neighbourhood, as well as its subdivision.

At Monday evening’s council meeting, staff brought forward reports recommending moving ahead with both.

The recommendation on the zoning comes following a public hearing on it. The city received no submissions during the public hearing.

The plans involve approximately 14.5 hectares of land, including the former CBC transmission tower site and vacant Yukon government land.

The area would be subdivided into 100 single-family/duplex lots, 75 townhouse lots, four multi-family parcels, one park lot and one public utility lot.

“All lots created through the proposed subdivision approval will be accessed by way of a network originating from Mountainview Drive by way of Whistle Bend Way and Casca Boulevard,” city planner Kindon Kosick noted in a report to council on the proposed subdivision.

“The roads and lanes shall be constructed per the specifications of the city’s servicing standards manual. All proposed development lots within the proposed subdivision area will be fully serviced.”

As Phase 6 goes through the zoning and subdivision process, work is continuing in other parts of the neighbourhood.

Council recently approved the subdivision renewal for the last part of Phase 3, with construction also continuing in that phase of the neighbourhood.

Construction is also continuing in Phase 4, with lots anticipated to be available through a lottery and tender processes in early 2019.

A detailed engineering design review of Phase 5 is also underway as the territory gets set to tender construction of the area early next year.

A total of about 255 ha (30 per cent) of the entire Whistle Bend neighbourhood will be made up of greenbelts and corridors, representing the required space for public land.

That will leave Phase 7 as the only yet-to-be planned phase for the neighbourhood, and that had council members wondering what will come next.

As Coun. Dan Boyd pointed out, Whistle Bend will be filled up in the coming years. He argued there does not seem to be a lot of planning underway for what will beyond Whistle Bend.

“I remain very concerned we’re heading towards a real housing crisis,” he said.

Coun. Betty Irwin highlighted the same concerns. The housing crunch the city is facing now will be nothing compared to what’s to come if the city continues to grow as it currently is, she said.

Kosick pointed to future development areas adjacent to the planned areas of Whistle Bend and the upcoming Official Community Plan review that will explore potential sites for development.

“Part of that is preparing our projections, working with YG’s numbers to figure out how much growth we need to accommodate, where we could potentially have units, (and) how much Whistle Bend is going to take up of that,” Kosick said.

He also noted there could be a look at Urban Containment Boundary expansion areas.

Coun. Roslyn Woodcock was absent from last night’s meeting.

Comments (9)

Up 2 Down 5

Oliver on Aug 4, 2018 at 3:04 pm

I'm from outside of Whitehorse. Reading about the Whistle Bend facility is interesting.

The facility needs 150 individuals. I doubt every single one of those people are going to Whitehorse alone. By looking into it a little more. Whitehorse hasn't prepared for such a rapid influx of population.

Regardless hope everything works out for everyone. From the peace of current citizens to the prosperity of newcomers.

Up 7 Down 8

rux on Aug 3, 2018 at 4:10 pm

They need to work with KDFN and TAAN to get their land to market

Up 5 Down 6

Josey Wales on Aug 2, 2018 at 10:49 pm

Gee...another edge of your seat nail biter, this vote...eh?
One thing that I think would be cool after their vote?
If they all stayed after the bell, for a basic math test, an actual not revisionist Canadian history test and maybe a wee brush up on first world freedoms.
Chronic “voting” habits aside, the reality our civic team appears to reside in
resembles “common core” critical thinking skills.

How come no huge condos or tall buildings in PooVille?
Oh it was not in the plan?
All other plans seem written in pencil? Hard pressed to find a new crisp eraser anywhere in that Civic palace of nobility we used to call our town hall.
In every part of this “village” however you can find windrows of erasure crumbs from the many idiots we have in said village appeasing and pandering to cronies.
PooVille needs a steel drum manufacturing facility, a needle exchange site, a few group homes, a new and improved ARC, a satellite Sally Anne to accommodate any potential overflow from their downtown location.
Would really aid in the quest for inclusion and diversity, Vs. the concentration and exclusion tactics we are enabling.

Up 6 Down 0

Hugh Mungus on Aug 2, 2018 at 4:37 pm

@ Max Mack

I drive by WalMart at least twice every day. At most, I would say there were 5 or 6 people living in vehicles there at any given time, some Yukon plates, some Outsiders. The rest were RVs from Outside. Those 5 or 6 vehicles have already moved on as of this AM I didn't see one and the lot had finally been swept for the winters worth of gravel (PS it is August).

I know that this doesn't feed into your vast conspiracy narrative but it wasn't COW that shut down overnights in Walmart. They could have done that 18 years ago when the place opened. WalMart themselves decided enough was enough and banned overnights starting next year. Do you honestly believe that Mayor Curtis had a clandestine meeting with a massive intrernational corporation to drive homeless/thrifty people to Robert Service campground?

Up 4 Down 4

Max Mack on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:25 pm

@Hugh Mungus

You are correct that Robert Service Campground does not take RVs. However, where are people going to go if folks can't live in Walmart's parking lot? My guess is the City is hoping that at least some of those folks will set up tents at Robert Service.

And, yes - Walmart is affordable housing. No rent. That's as affordable as it gets.
As for your not-so-veiled insult, as though I can't "connect" things, grow up.

Up 12 Down 1

Hugh Mungus on Aug 1, 2018 at 3:41 pm

@ Max Mack said "Strange that Walmart's decision also coincides with the City taking over Robert Service campground. Things that make you go, 'Hmmmm.' "

Robert Service campground does not accept RVs. Two completely different worlds that you will never connect.
Also, WalMart parking lot is not affordable housing.

Up 16 Down 10

Max Mack on Jul 31, 2018 at 4:32 pm

The faux concern about a housing crisis is humourous to behold. Backdoor city discussions with Walmart resulted in that recent decision to end RV camping in the Walmart parking lot. With that, there goes a whole bunch of affordable housing opportunities. Many people cannot afford the Yukon's outrageous rental rates, and have chosen to park a trailer at Walmart.

Strange that Walmart's decision also coincides with the City taking over Robert Service campground. Things that make you go, 'Hmmmm.'

Rental housing will likely not improve with the new Whistle Bend lots, as the cost of new construction (partly due to CoW's over-the-top building standards) simply does not pay back adequately as rentals. Why rent when you can flip and make relatively easy profit?

CoW's affordable housing policy: can't have undesirables camping for "free"? Build overpriced housing and the poor will come?

Up 23 Down 4

Hopeful on Jul 31, 2018 at 4:03 pm

I'm hopeful that as stated, phase 6 will include regular 5 and 10 thousand square foot lots for $100k or less. This would make it affordable to more people.
Current prices of in town lots that border on $200k are not realistic representations of their values, however as long as there are people paying for them it will continue the silly trend of pricing out all but the well to do crowd. Even 6 years ago you could have gotten something decent for around 300k all in (house and lot) And I'm speaking from personal experience. Don't let Whitehorse turn into another unaffordable place. There's way too many of those already in Canada.

Up 18 Down 2

ProScience Greenie on Jul 31, 2018 at 3:39 pm

This council will act and look all serious (see photo above) and then simple rubber stamp it. It's just the way they are.

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