One of 40 proposed amendments to the Whitehorse zoning bylaw would end the large "caretaker” homes in industrial subdivisions.

City planning staff explained in a briefing this week they're finding that permitting dwellings of up to 3,200 square feet in size on industrial properties is shifting the intent away from industrial use to residential.

"It is hard to find industrial property,” said planner Mike Ellis. "It is hard to find residential property, but it is even harder to find industrial property.”

There are examples of homes that are larger than the building used for the business, staff explained.

Planning manager Mike Gau said when whole families start moving into an industrial subdivision, it not only takes away fromthe original intent of having land designated for industrial use, it becomes a safety concern.

Caretaker homes are meant to provide for onsite staff to watch over the property and its assets.

The size of 3,200 square feet was adopted by council after a lengthy public debate six years ago.

Under the proposed amendment, Ellis said, the maximum size of the home would be reduced to 1,280 square feet.

Caretaker accommodations on commercial lots, like those in the Marwell area, would have to be attached to the main building under the proposed changes.

The list of proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw vary widely. They range from expanding opportunities for more daycare services in residential areas to opening up the old part of downtown to multi-unit housing – to a maximum of four units per lot instead of two.

Owners of country residential properties wanting to subdivide their parcels would be required to produce a detailed study indicating increased density would not have a negative impact on the water table, or the ability of the soil to absorb another septic field.

Ellis said the city addressed the desire for increased density in country residential neighbourhoods last year when it adopted new provisions for garden suites.

By law, he said, the city must still entertain applications for the subdivision of country residential properties. But the requirement to provide a detailed hydrological and nitrogen loading assessment is likely to be expensive, and a disincentive, Ellis said.

A list of the proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw is available on line, and hard copies are available at city offices.

The planning department will host an open house at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the proposed changes.

The schedule calls for first reading of the amended bylaw to be before city council May 28.

Second and third readings are scheduled for July 9. The intent is to have final approval in early July.

Planning staff explained that revisions to the zoning bylaw are part of the city's overall growth strategy that also includes the new Whistle Bend subdivision, the master plan for the south end of downtown and the Porter Creek D development.

The time is coming, said Ellis, when Whitehorse residents will need to have the discussion about where they want to see the next major residential subdivision development.

It's important, he said, that the city not fall behind the eight ball in future planning.

Other proposed amendments to the bylaw include:

• Rezone lots used principally to allow for mobile homes, like the older lots in Porter Creek and Crestview and Arkell, to allow for the construction of duplexes;

• Allow for larger front porches to promote a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape;

• Increase the allowance for the size of commercial buildings in the highway zone from 1,500 square metres to 7,500 (Walmart store size, hotel size).

• Remove regulations governing signs, as there are plans to create a bylaw this spring and summer solely for the purpose of regulating signs;

• Raise the height restriction from 20 metres to 25 metres in a large section of the northern part of downtown, and in a handful of areas in the south end of the downtown;

• Reduce the setback required for the construction of garden suites in the

backyard to allow the residence to be as close as 1.5 metres from the rear property line, as a means of encouraging more laneway housing;

• Create a First Nations zone to allow for the special circumstances surrounding the development of land owned by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation;

• Create the city's first agricultural zone immediately northeast of the Cousins Airstrip located near the Mayo cutoff;

• Incorporate the master plan for the south end of downtown into the zoning bylaw; and

• Make landscaping provisions a requirement.