New green space bylaws in Whitehorse will lead to an even longer development process, inflate housing prices and cause trades workers to go South to make a living.

That's the opinion of Mike Racz, the president of the Yukon Real Estate Association. He believes the public should be aware of the economic, as well as the environmental, implications of the June 22 referendum vote.

'It will have a great impact on the market; it's another obstacle to the development of any new land,' he said in an interview this week.

'All this referendum is going to do is it's just going to put up another hurdle to development in the city.

'The cost of any newly-developed homes is going to go up,' the veteran realtor said.

Any additional costs in the development process would be passed on to homebuyers, he added.

Earlier this month, city council elected to approve Bylaw 2006-10, the referendum bylaw, requiring city officials to hold a citywide referendum anytime they wish to rezone an area identified as green space in the Official Community Plan (OCP).

Council also voted to take Bylaw 2006-11, the planning study bylaw, to referendum later this month.

Bylaw 2006-11 would require developers, private or public, to develop a planning study and a map outlining green spaces in the preliminary stages, then have that map go to an area plebiscite to gauge public opinion.

A plebiscite, according to city officials, would not be legally binding.

Racz said adding another form of public consultation to the development process would delay an already-lengthy process and stall development.

'There are all sorts of public reviews; the public already has more than ample opportunity for consultation,' he said.

Racz said if development is stalled in the city, skilled trades people would likely go and work in the booming housing markets Outside, such as Alberta.

'Not everyone works for the government. If they can't make a decent living, they're going to leave and they're never coming back.

'If the trades people leave, that's no good,' he said. 'It's an issue of the economy and a larger issue than people give credit to.'

Robert Fendrick, the city's director of administrative services, said he believes it's important for people to know the June 22 referendum focused more on the development process as opposed to green space protection.

'It's really not about green space; we're past that,' he said, explaining that Bylaw 2006-10, to be passed by council on June 12, deals with green space protection.

The city would be engaging in a public information campaign over the next month, he added, to ensure citizens were informed.