There are no immediate changes proposed for the land off Robert Service Way, city officials say.

The city has posted a sign highlighting possibilities for the area.

Since then, numerous calls have been coming into the city from concerned residents, along with social media posts about it.

The sign, city planner Kindon Kosick explained, was put there in an effort to get people talking about the area and its future.

“It’s got the conversation going,” Kosick said.

It also resulted in some misunderstanding that the city wasn’t expecting, he added.

Numerous calls have come in from residents concerned about the possibility of what might be going in there.

It’s part of the effort to get public input on the Robert Service Way area plan being worked on right now.

The plan looks at the area stretching from Ear and Hobo Lakes to the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport and from the Alaska Highway down to the Yukon River just before the downtown area.

The public engagement phase for the plan began July 28 and will continue until Sept. 10.

The signs were placed along Robert Service Way to get people thinking and talking about the area.

As well, pop-up booths have been set up at the Fireweed Community Market in Shipyards Park to draw direct input from residents.

Emails are being welcomed, and a long- and short-form survey are each available through the city’s website.

As Kosick explained, the two different surveys were developed so that those who have more time and might have a greater interest in the area can take the time (estimated at about 20 minutes) to answer more detailed questions.

Meanwhile, those who might not have as much time but are interested can do the shorter survey. With the survey available until Sept. 10, officials have not looked at results.

Based on all the input received, Kosick said, “there’s lots of interest in the area.”

Through the variety of input collected, the city has heard a range of comments from support for the dirt bike area - currently leased to the Yukon Cross Country Motorcycle Association.

The 6.9-hectare site has been used by off-road vehicle riders since the 1970s, with the land leased to a variety of user groups over the years.

They’ve also heard support for other recreational uses in the area. The city and its contractor on the study, Jane of All Trades, continue to work on the initiative.

It’s expected there will be a couple of more pop-up events before public input on the project concludes.

“We’re sort of starting to trend that way,” Kosick said of the pop-up booths the city sets up in places where residents already are.

He said it’s a good way to reach people who might not otherwise turn out for a public meeting focused on a specific matter – or may not even know about a particular issue or study underway yet.

Following the public input portion of the study, a draft plan will be written and available for another session of public comment before council votes on whether to adopt it.

“The city is hoping to have the final report completed for council adoption in October,” it’s noted on the city’s website.

The final report will be used to inform the next review of the Official Community Plan that’s expected to begin late this year or early next year.