New residential lots in Porter Creek and Crestview could be on the market as early as late summer or early fall, say city planners who are starting the work to open up five sites to development.

The city announced the plans during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

"We're set to begin work right away,” planner Ben Campbell said of the one Crestview and four Porter Creek sites being eyed for development.

A public meeting will be held on Feb. 2 at Jack Hulland Elementary School to explore potential options for the sites. Any final decisions would depend on what comes out of the consultation and be at the discretion of council, planner Mike Ellis said.

It's expected there could be anywhere between 18 and 27 units spread out over five pieces of land:

• in Crestview, 4,500 square metres between Rainbow Road and Klukshu Avenue;

• in Porter Creek, 3,000 square metres between 12th Avenue and Centennial Street;

• 4,000 square metres on 14th Avenue near the Guild Hall;

• 6,000 square metres on the south side of Boxwood Crescent; and

• 7,200 square metres on the north end of Elm Street.

During the public consultation – which will start with the Feb. 2 meeting – planners will look at how residents want to see the sites developed.

As planning manager Mike Gau pointed out, however, in most infill situations, many want development to be similar to homes already in the neighbourhood. In the cases of these five sites, that would generally be single-family homes or duplexes.

While some sites would accommodate two or three residential lots, others could have as many as 10, again depending on what comes out of the consultation, planners stressed.

Stakeholder sessions will also be held.

Planners are expecting to have a few possibilities to present to the public and stakeholders for comments, but will also be seeking any other ideas.

"We don't want to prejudge the public process,” Gau said.

Following further meetings and a final design for each of the sites, rezoning would likely come to council in the spring.

Ellis acknowledged the Crestview and Boxwood sites are zoned Environmental Protection. He noted the zoning was established a number of years ago, largely due to the proximity of other enviornmental protection land nearby.

The other three sites would also require rezoning. The area between 12th and Centennial, as well as the north end of Elm Street, are currently zoned as Greenbelt, while the 14th Avenue site is zoned as Public Services.

The rezoning would include a public hearing, where residents would once again have an opportunity to inform council of their thoughts on the plans.

If council approves the rezoning, subdivision of the lots would follow before the project is turned over to the engineering department to design the roads and services.

Construction would likely happen later in the summer and into the fall, when the properties would go on sale through a lottery.

"This is all stemming from the Official Community Plan (OCP),” Gau explained, pointing to the need identified in the document to get lots on the market.

The most recent OCP, which acts as an overall guide to city development, was adopted last year, setting out areas eyed for protection and other sites that could be developed.

Also identified in the OCP was the desire of locals to have good access to alternative transportation, more housing choices and have the city run more efficiently.

All that adds up to providing more options for housing in already established neighbourhoods where possible through infill, such as what's proposed in Crestview and Porter Creek, the planners maintain.

Other infill and development areas were also identified as possibilities in the OCP. Those include an area between Riverdale's Boswell Crescent and Firth Road, downtown at Fifth Avenue and Rogers Street, at the Porter Creek D area near McIntyre Creek, and Whistle Bend.

All those areas, however, require much more research before the city considers adding homes, the planners explained, using a graph showing the level of complexity on each.

The five sites being looked at for more immediate development, for example, are rated as being the lowest in complexity with public open houses and input sessions listed as the consultation.

Next up on the complexity rating is Riverdale, with a well-head protection study and transportation study required before the city would consider the design workshops on potential development.

"We need to get that work done first,” Ellis said. He made that point after noting the transportation study is underway, with the well-head study expected to be done later this year, depending on budget approval.

Similarly, the proposal for the downtown area would see an active transportation connectivity study done with later consultation conducted in the form of design charettes.

The Porter Creek D and ongoing Whistle Bend developments are listed as being the highest in complexity, with analysis that has to be done on the impact to riparian areas and slope stability.

Consultation for the developments would come in the form of a multi-year community engagement process.

Work has already started on phases one and two of Whistle Bend, with the first of those lots expected to be available in the fall of 2012. The planners were quick to note there are more phases planned for there in the future.

The city recently signed an agreement with the Yukon government that will see the territory, the developer in this case, fund the planning the city does for the area.

A similar agreement is being worked on for Porter Creek D, where the city also owns the land, Ellis said.

"We are moving forward as fast as we can,” he said.