Whitehorse Daily Star

Whistle Bend may boast city’s first green street

One pedestrian’s dream may be another driver’s nightmare.

By Stephanie Waddell on June 24, 2016

One pedestrian’s dream may be another driver’s nightmare.

Time will tell, if proposed plans for the fourth phase of Whistle Bend move forward.

The plans could be the start of a change in who uses city streets, with plans for a neighbourhood street not accessible to vehicles.

At Monday’s city council meeting, planning manager Pat Ross brought forward changes to zoning plans for the proposed fourth phase of Whistle Bend.

The area would be off the east side of Casca Boulevard, and the plans include a provision for the city’s first “green street” along with zoning for a park and a variety of housing types: single detached, duplexes, townhouses and apartments.

Rather than opening their front doors to a residential roadway, residents of the single-detached homes on the “green street” would open their front doors to a landscaped corridor featuring a walking path.

Homeowners could use the expanded 10-metre-wide lanes behind their homes for vehicle access.

“It is expected also that we’ll be coming back with further refinement to that zoning around that green street design, and that’s going to be required as we get into the specific details of how this area will be developed, and that will be brought forward at a later date prior to this area being released for sale.”

The street would be the first of its kind, Ross said, noting it’s not something many people are used to. A number of green streets are included in the larger master plan for the neighbourhood.

“It’s part of the overall goals and visions of this area incorporated into the sustainable initiatives,” he explained.

It’s a concept Coun. Samson Hartland said he’s interested in seeing.

“No matter what some people say, the concept of integrating what people want to see – integration between environment and your home abode – is quite impressive,” he said of the green street. “I hope logically, it will work out in this neighbourhood .... I’m very intrigued.”

Hartland also pointed to changes to the proposed lot arrangement for Phase 4 over the master plan, confirming with Ross that the changes come in response to market demands.

It is fairly typical for changes to be made in lot configuration as planning work continues on neighbourhood developments and market pressures change.

Though lot configuration may see alterations, the plans generally stay in with the overall master plan.

In this case, Ross said: “The design remains generally similar to the original 2012 design. The main change is that the larger lots along Casca have been reoriented to face internal streets (mirroring the change made for Phase 3) and have been rezoned from as-yet-unused RCT2 - Courtyard Townhouse to a mix of RCM and RCM2 (zoning for medium density multi-unit developments and apartments).”

While the precise number of lots will come forward when the area is subdivided, a chart provided to city council shows the area would likely include:

• 65 narrow single-family lots of between 350 and 460 square metres compared to the 110 lots that had originally been outlined in the master plan.

Ross told council though after a Monday afternoon meeting with the Yukon government, which is developing Whistle Bend, the figure is expected to drop further when subdivision comes forward to 56. (Approximately seven of them would be designated as duplex properties).

• 104 standard single-family lots between 400 and 610 square metres compared to 47 that were outlined in the master plan.

Again, Ross noted that number is now expected to change to 90 lots when subdivision comes forward.

• One property for a medium-density development, which is typically between three and 10 townhouses, on a 3,260 square metre site.

There had been no such zoning identified in the master plan for Phase 4.

• Five apartment lots of between 2,300 and 5,600 square metres where none had been outlined in the master plan for Phase 4.

• Three “cottage cluster” lots – properties that could include single, duplex or triplex homes on one lot – of between 881 and 6,380 square metres. A total of 12 had been eyed for Phase 4 in the master plan.

• 13 fee-simple townhouse lots where each townhouse is on a separate lot of between 230 and 320 square metres.

There would also be room for the area park that was already noted in the master plan. The park would be about 5,530 square metres.

“Phase 4 allows for a wide variety of residential uses including single-detached, suites, duplex, triplex, townhouse, cottage cluster, supportive and apartments,” Ross told council.

“A broad mix of housing allows residents to ‘age in place’ and has the socio-economic benefit of mixing a range of income levels and demographics within a neighbourhood.

“Phase 4 is located very close to the Whistle Bend core, so the mix includes high-density residential lots which helps the viability of both commercial opportunities and transit service.”

Phase 3 of Whistle Bend, which sits across the street from Phase 4 in the middle of the Casca Boulevard loop off Whistle Bend Way, includes a number of commercially zoned lots.

Subdivision for the majority of Phase 3 was approved last month, though a small section had received earlier subdivision approval.

Meanwhile, construction is continuing on a number of developments in the earliest phases of the neighbourhood.

Council is set to vote on whether to move ahead with the zoning for Phase 4 at next week’s meeting.

If first reading is approved, a public hearing on the plans would then be held at council’s July 25 meeting, with second and third readings coming forward at its Aug. 8 session.

Comments (5)

Up 12 Down 13

Mark Sanders on Jun 27, 2016 at 3:30 pm

So, the city proposes a green street but wants ATV and snow machine access readily available throughout town even on the Rotary Centennial Bridge not long ago.

Seems like idealism for a green street has not encountered the way the city usually does business.

Up 31 Down 2

Salar on Jun 27, 2016 at 8:56 am

So there will now be streets no one drives on......but they will be called streets. Greenstreets. Wow this City is desperate.
But if we can get all the folks who don't want anything to happen in the Yukon wild to live on this green street we will know where to get the green vote.
It's kinda like farming but with asphalt.

Up 19 Down 4

DavidN on Jun 26, 2016 at 11:43 am

I grew up in Winnipeg near Wildwood Park in the 1950s and early 60s. Wildwood was a late 1940's urban development of modest single family houses with green frontage. Lane access allowed cars to park right behind the house. The front yard was a common green space, everyone had a front yard but few people put up fences, everyone minded their bit of the common and the sidewalks linked different parts of the "park" through the well-treed greenspace. It was an amazing place to be a kid, everybody knew everybody else. The park had a circular road with bus service around the whole development. Today it remains much as it always has been - a relaxing forested neighbourhood of some 250 houses, each of which commands a premium in the market place. If we can get one of those in Whitehorse we'd be lucky. Go for it.

Up 33 Down 14

June Jackson on Jun 24, 2016 at 8:14 pm

Some readers think Dan's Castle is tax sucking and shouldn't happen...
How many millions is the City in the hole for Buckways Whistle Bend? How much money does the City owe the banks anyway?

The governments are in so deep now, they can't back out.. a neighborhood that vehicles can't drive in? How long an extention cord do you need for a 10 meter laneway how far from your home?.. how far are folks hauling their groceries?

There must be some plan in there to force people to ride city transit.. we did get that big dump of money for our transit system.
For me its just another bad idea in a long list of bad ideas gratis the duly elected Council from the City of Whitehorse.

Up 11 Down 6

BnR on Jun 24, 2016 at 6:59 pm

"This is home
This is greenstreet
It's our home
The only one I know"
With apologies to Van Halen.

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.