Councillor joined ranks of luckless applicants

With just seven lots on Grove Street up for grabs, chances were slim for any of the 158 Whitehorse residents who put their names in the lottery to purchase the new properties.

With just seven lots on Grove Street up for grabs, chances were slim for any of the 158 Whitehorse residents who put their names in the lottery to purchase the new properties.

In the end, though, William McKenna, Caitlyn Wintemute, Raghad Ali, Stanley Wainwright, Branden Carey, Donna Cebuliak and Dina Kerr came out the winners, in that order, in Tuesday afternoon’s draw.

The seven names were drawn by Mayor Bev Buckway inside council chambers before a number of disappointed prospective land owners who turned out to hear if they’d be lucky.

The lots were one of a few sites in Porter Creek identified as having the proper zoning in place to allow for development.

Among those in council chambers was Max Winkelman, who had his name on the list of applicants in the hopes that either he or his dad, Hans, would have their names drawn.

His dad, he explained, has been here for about three years working at the hospital and living in the residence there. While Max and Hans have been looking for either a house or lot where they can build, they’ve had no luck.

“Most houses sell within two weeks,” he said.

Coun. Doug Graham was among the other 151 disappointed prospective land owners.

The councillor has been vocal in his arguments that a lack of city lots is driving up prices.

He said this morning he and his wife as well as his mother, who lives with them, are looking to downsize.

With their children having moved out, Graham and his wife want a smaller home and Grove Street seemed like the right place for it.

Graham’s own son Richard also put his name in for a lot, looking to build his own home, Graham explained.

“We were both looking for our own (lots),” he said.

Had they both won, Graham said it would have been a busy time for the family, with two homes to have built.

That’s where the benefit of the city lot sales come in. The territory includes a provision that buildings must be up within two years of the sale.

The city, however, opted not to include that condition in its land lotteries, recognizing how long planning and construction can take.

In the Grahams’ case, that would have worked out well had both Doug and Richard had their names drawn for properties.

As Graham pointed out though, that policy is now backfiring on the city because it means lots can easily be flipped prior to anything being built on the given site.

For Graham, not having his name drawn for a Grove Street lot simply means he will now set his sights on the city lottery for new lots opening in Takhini North this fall.

The neighbourhood is being redeveloped, with the first of the new lots being sold last year. A number of new houses have been built this summer in the area.

“We would love to live in Takhini,” Graham said, noting he and his wife are both cyclists who also enjoy going to the Canada Games Centre.

The neighbourhood offers both recreational options nearby and sits close to the downtown, he pointed out.

Another option could be the Yukon government’s plan this fall to sell lots in the new subdivision of Ingram, next to Arkell off Hamilton Boulevard.

Graham, however, said the location isn’t right for him and his wife.

He’s hoping, though, it will result in fewer people looking for lots in future land lotteries for spots like Whistle Bend, the next major neighbourhood being planned for the city in Porter Creek’s lower bench.

”Hopefully, it’ll take a bit of the pressure off,” Graham said of the Ingram lots being sold.

City planning manager Mike Gau also pointed to the expanded choices in land options that will open up in Takhini North and Ingram.

“There should be a nice selection this fall,” Gau said, adding the city is also continuing to work on Whistle Bend.

The interest in Grove Street also wasn’t a big surprise to Gau, who noted the size of the properties (between 700 and 830 square metres) likely appealed to many.

Also, he pointed out, there have been no major land lotteries since the completion of Copper Ridge a few years ago.

That means more prospective land owners end up putting their names in for the smaller lotteries such as for Grove Street, and Gau suspects Takhini North as well.

With Whistle Bend still a few years away, Gau said, the city has been moving as fast as it can to open up land in smaller areas as planning continues on the larger development.

The city will also be dealing with the other sites in Porter Creek, like Grove Street, that were identified for development.

While the Grove Street land was originally in the hands of the Yukon government, it was turned over to the city for $230,000.

City manager Dennis Shewfelt explained Monday the price represented what the government would have paid years ago to service the area.

While the city paid $230,000 for the land, the new property owners will find themselves paying between $120,000 and $130,000 for the parcels, assessed at market value.

Being the first name drawn, McKenna got dibs on his first choice spot of 549 Grove Street, an 821-square-metre lot priced at $130,200 (including GST).

Other selections included:

• Wintemute’s first choice of lot 551, a 767-square-metre property, priced at $120,750;

• Ali’s first pick of lot 557, an 824-square-metre site, priced at $130,200;

• Wainwright’s second choice of lot 553, a 789-square-metre property, costing $124,950;

• Carey’s fourth choice at 555 Grove Street, an 823-square-metre property priced at $130,200;

• Cebuliak’s fifth choice of lot 545, an 820-square-metre site for $130,200; and

• Kerr’s sixth choice of lot 547, an 821-square-metre property for $130,200.

After that draw, Buckway pulled another 15 numbered (representing those looking for lots) ping-pong balls out of a bag for the standby list of buyers who will have dibs on lots if any of the first seven drawn decide to opt out of the purchase.