A developer is preparing to erect the tallest building in downtown Whitehorse, but not everyone is thrilled about it.

Mah's Point, a six-storey steel frame commercial and condominium building set for construction on Second Avenue, will be the first building in downtown Whitehorse to exceed four storeys. It may signal the beginning of increased gentrification in town.

"When you start putting in six-storey buildings, it changes the viewscape. It's an aesthetic decision,” Lewis Rifkind of the Yukon Conservation Society said this week.

"You will definitely lose views,” he said.

However, Terry Bergen, the past president of the Yukon Real Estate Association, believes that densification downtown, which includes more tall buildings, is a good thing.

"We've been waiting for redevelopment in this town for a long time,” said Bergen. "The end result will be more of a living city.”

Bergen said misgivings about development are due to nothing more than fear of change, but ultimately Whitehorse will be better off.

"This is going to revitalize the downtown core and bring it to life in the evenings. It's going to reduce traffic, because people will live and work downtown and won't have to drive from the suburbs,” he said.

Longtime downtown resident Missy Follwell supports densification in the downtown area, but is worried it may come at a cost.

"I'm concerned that because of our lack of housing, planning principles are being thrown out the window,” she said.

Follwell said the illustration of Mah's Point displayed in advertisements looks like a "salt-box, straight up and down.”

"The more of a site a building takes up, the less neighbourly and friendly it is,” she said in an interview Thursday. "The less room you have for socializing in the street, flower pots, et cetera.”

The conservation society recently presented a report to city council on the densification of downtown, with concerns ranging from the effect of the shadows created by tall buildings to the canyon effect.

"When you've got a tall building that's not set back a couple metres from the sidewalk, it's like walking next to a cliff,” said Rifkind.

"It can be pretty off-putting. It's not the end of the world, it's not a show-stopper, but I think it's worth thinking about. Imagine some kid dropping a penny from the top.”

Rifkind cited the commercial and condominium building at the corner of Strickland and Fourth Avenue as both a good and bad example of the canyon effect.

"On Fourth, it's flush with the sidewalk. It's quite nerve-wracking. Then you turn the corner and it's set back a metre, which is much nicer,” he said.

He said the canyon effect also affects drivers.

"Drivers will often feel like they're in the bottom of a gully, and they think they can go really fast,” said Rifkind.

This could pose problems for Second Avenue, which already is one of the busiest streets in Whitehorse and has seen a number of injuries and fatalities from crosswalk collisions in the past few years.

Rifkind said there are several ways to avoid the canyon effect, including setting the foundation back from the sidewalk, scaling back the second storey with a balcony or giving the sidewalk room for "street furniture”, such as bike racks and benches.

"A lot depends on the design,” said Rifkind.

Follwell said many downtown residents appreciate the human scale of Whitehorse, and expressed concerns that numerous tall buildings could have a dehumanizing effect on the landscape.

"What's really important to me is protecting the waterfront, to have lots of open public space, and as few really tall buildings as possible,” she said. "If you were to move them further towards the escarpment, that would be better.”

"I have no problems with increased densification. I just think it needs to be done thoughtfully with the long term in mind rather than the short term.”

Bergen believes the concerns about development are insignificant compared to the benefits.

"The shadow issue as a concern has been around forever. Sure, it's a concern,” said Bergen. But he said the difference between a two-storey shadow and a six-storey shadow is neglible.

"I don't think the look of things is going to change at all,” he said.

New buildings will be more aesthetically pleasing than the vacant lots, sheds and poorly maintained buildings that are currently in the downtown area, Bergen said.

"We're brightening up the city.”

Mike Gau, the city's manager of planning and development, said the height restrictions on buildings in downtown Whitehorse have not changed. The restriction is still 20 metres.

However, references to the number of storeys permitted in a building have been removed. Therefore, as long as the building does not exceed 20 metres in height, there is no problem with building a six-storey building.

The tallest building in Whitehorse is the new nurses' residence by Whitehorse General Hospital. Mah's Point will equal that height.

Gau pointed out that Mah's Point has yet to receive a development permit from the city, but anticipates the proponents will have no trouble.

"It's just a long process. It can take some time,” he said.

Another steel-framed building, which will be four storeys tall, is being built beside the Tim Hortons on Second Avenue near Main Street.

Mah's Point is pre-selling units. It will be built on the location of the Pioneer Inn, which was demolished in 2009.

Today, the lot where Mah's Point will be built is currently little more than an empty dirt patch, littered with the remains of a concrete retaining wall, a rusted-out oil tank and weeds.