The Yukon government (YTG) and the Yukon College Board of Governors are negotiating a proposal on the future of the Porter Creek greenbelt, says a college official.

In an interview this morning, board vice-chair Clarence Timmins said the proposal, forwarded by the college to the YTG on Dec. 20, is substantially smaller than the original endowment land proposal of the entire area.

He also said the college would relinquish its claim to the proposed development area planned by the city, which would leave the municipal government free to go forward with its 280-lot plan in the greenbelt.

'We are in negotiations with the government,' Timmins said.

'Where the government and the city have the proposal (to build), we're not looking at that area,' he said. 'It's a different area, right across from the Kopper King,' he said.

In an interview Friday, Doug Caldwell, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Services who owns the land, confirmed the YTG has received the proposal.

'The college has come up with a proposal and they're looking to shop it around to the city and the YTG,' Caldwell said.

'The government's examining it right now.'

He said there has been no decision made on the proposal and YTG officials are still adamant they will take the matter to a public consultation with stakeholders before any final decision is made.

'We're working on a consultation plan right now,' he said. 'We want to get this thing done quickly.'

Mayor Ernie Bourassa said this morning he has not been officially advised of the proposal. If the board of governor's plan did indeed exclude the proposed Porter Creek development, he, in theory, would support it.

'If that's the case, then it certainly works well with our development plan,' Bourassa said.

He has yet to be contacted by the YTG on their plans for the area.

'(Community Services Minister Glenn Hart) has just returned from holidays. I don't think anyone has had a chance to pick up the phone yet,' the mayor said.

The Porter Creek greenbelt has been the subject of political controversy since Porter Creek MLA Pat Duncan revealed in early December that there are three plans for the area:

• a city plan for development;

• a call to have the area protected by Hart; and

• having the area given to Yukon College as endowment lands, as promised by Education Minister John Edzerza since 2003.

To date, Hart, who had knowledge of the city's plan and the plan to have the area protected, college officials and Edzerza have not explained how the area could have had three plans being considered at the same time.

The area is also the subject of an initiative being undertaken by the Porter Creek Community Association. Its members maintain they were never properly consulted on the proposed development, and that the community does not want it.

Association members are circulating a petition around the city in an attempt to gain 2,000 signatures and spur a citywide referendum.

The referendum calls for the development of a green space plan for any new development undertaken by the city and an area plebiscite or referendum by the city if they wished to change the zoning of an area designated green space.