The Yukon Horse and Rider Association are deferring their pursuit of the former KMA Speedway as a riding centre while they explore other opportunities.

Jody MacKenzie-Grieve, an association spokeswoman, appeared before city council Monday night to say her group has renewed interest in an indoor riding arena it looked at previously along the Mayo Road.

She asked council to defer second reading of the required amendment of the Official Community Plan (OCP) for one year, while the association revisits the Mayo Road option, and possibly others that have come to light.

The association also sought council's assurance that it would not lose its place as first in line for the Kara Speedway option, should it be unsuccessful in its new pursuits.

Council did defer second reading.

"We feel it is important to investigate some information that had come to our attention, as part of our due diligence,” MacKenzie-Grieve said in her presentation of the new choices on the table.

"We may be back here in a year pursuing use of the KMA Speedway if we are not successful.

She said the association did look at the Mayo Road location a year ago but didn't feel it could afford the lease arrangement.

In light of recent discussions, and the owner's desire to have the facility used for what it was intended, the association is looking at the location again.

It will also be approaching other community groups like dog handlers to see if they're interested in sharing the facility, she said.

"We have also become aware of other facilities outside city limits which may be to the long-term benefit of the association.”

The group's equestrian grounds have been located on the Porter Creek lower bench for decades.

Its lease will expire this fall, and there's little chance of renewing it as the Whistle Bend subdivision expansion continues, council heard.

The proposal to convert the old speedway into the new riding centre has raised the anger of some Cowley Creek residents. A few of them were at city hall last night expecting to see council vote on the second reading of the OCP amendment.

In an interview afterward, they indicated they were not aware of the deferral being sought, though had heard something in the wind. They said they still have concerns, as the matter could come back in a year.

The residents have cited additional traffic and the construction of a new access road from their subdivision into the former speedway as an affront to the quality of country residential living they sought when they bought the properties.

Council was proposing to create and sell another three Cowley Creek lots to pay for the access road.

The existing access off the Alaska Highway has been deemed unsafe, according to national highway standards.

Mike Gau, the city's director of development services, said staff spoke with Yukon government officials about reducing the speed limit along the stretch to the existing access, but the proposal was flatly rejected.

There is already a high level of non-compliance with the posted 90-kilometre speed limit, he said.

Gau said a recent survey showed 85 per cent of drivers exceeded the limit.

"They do not support any reduction of the speed limit, as it may cause further unsafe driving conditions in the area,” he told council.

Government officials also rejected the use of a flashing light board to caution drivers about the intersection, Gau added, as that type of alert is reserved for dangerous road conditions, not trucks and horse trailers.

Coun. Dave Stockdale suggested the expansion of three lots in Cowley Creek should go ahead, regardless.

Three residential lots could generate $400,000 to $500,000 in revenue for the city, or enough to offset a two per cent hike in property taxes, he said.

Outside council chambers, however, Stockdale's suggestion was going over like a lead balloon.

When, the Cowley Creek residents want to know, will council start recognizing the interests of existing residents, and the value of green space and wilderness trails that would be lost to three new lots?

They said the whole issue of the speedway's environmental cleanup and who would pay for reclaiming years of oil spilled in the pits and sprayed on the track is still very much unclear.