The draft of the Downtown South Master Plan was released Wednesday for public review.

The city is accepting feedback on the draft proposal until June 30.

It's designed to set the foundation for development in the south end over the next 20 years, though the priority right now is to get land available for residential development, city planner Ben Campbell explained in an interview Thursday.

Campbell said while the immediate focus is on land owned by the city and the Yukon government between Fifth Avenue and the escarpment, he expects a rezoning package for the entire south end will go before city council later this year.

The plan, he said, includes rezoning initiatives to expand the potential for increased residential density.

It includes a vision of how the city might dress up the area next to Robert Service Way, with a mix of landscaping and commercial space. There's the possibility of another intersection if Sixth Avenue were to be extended out to the main artery.

The plan includes high-rise developments next to the escarpment, to a maximum of 25 metres, and a mix of new affordable, social and market-driven housing throughout the vacant area between Fifth Avenue and the clay cliffs.

It calls for the extension of Rogers Street, Lowe Street, and Hoge Street to the escarpment, or near it.

An extension of the existing network of trails is planned with a new Lower Escarpment Trail, and another set of stairs leading up to the top of the cliffs. An area has already been identified for a sculpture by Whitehorse artist Ken Anderson.

New medians and flower boxes are included in the long-term face lift of Fourth Avenue.

But before anybody starts talking about cosmetics, the focus is making land available for development, Campbell said.

"We know this is council's priority.”

Campbell pointed out the city already has five parcels of land next to the escarpment which could provide for multi-storey residential developments.

The large chunk of government land between Fifth and the escarpment could provide for a mix of commercial and different residential opportunities, including private and public housing, he said.

Yukon Housing also has a significant interest in the available land, and blending the interest of the Crown corporation with those of the city and the outright need for more housing will be one of the key challenges.

"We are hoping council will adopt this plan later this summer and then we can start doing the work to get the land available.”

At a recent lunchtime council meeting, there were discussions about the city's ability to ensure affordable housing is included in the mix through the use of a development permit.

It was suggested this should not be an open-ended opportunity for developers to get a piece of prime real estate and make off with huge profits by only building and selling upscale condominiums.

Through the development permit, the city might be able to influence the profit margin, so that regular working folk can afford a piece of real estate downtown, it was said at the meeting.

Campbell said if and when the plan is adopted, the city will complete a geo-technical analysis of its properties sitting at the toe of the escarpment, to determine the development potential.

Technically speaking, the planner explained, the city could move forward with the development of its own properties without having to nail down a final plan for the entire area with the government and Yukon Housing.

"I think it is reasonable to believe we could move on these within a couple of years,” Campbell said of the city-owned properties. "That is what we want.”

The south-end planning exercise is drawing significant interest, he said, adding that 60 or so attended the open house when the draft was released Wednesday evening, the night of the big game.

The city planner said the planning department has paper copies of the draft available at the Municipal Services Building on Fourth Avenue. But the department is encouraging residents to go online to review the proposal, as a means of reducing the use of paper, he said. The online address is www.whitehorse.ca/growthstrategy