The proposed Whitehorse Copper country residential development gained subdivision approval from Whitehorse city council Monday night.

The green light didn't come without some changes to the original proposal before council.

Coun. Doug Graham proposed two alterations which were both approved.

The first change deleted two of the proposed lots.

'They're right on the creek-bed,' he explained. 'And there was some concern that if septic tanks were located in the northern part of those lots that it would percolate down into the... creek itself.'

Another lot was added in the property, which Graham says will shut off development in the south Whitehorse Copper area.

'It's not a question of who wins and who loses,' he said in proposing the reduction of 111 lots to 110.

He was referring to an earlier presentation by Wolf Creek resident Lori Duncan, who spoke out against the development.

Graham said what the city is trying to do is meet a compromise where the needs of some citizens are met and the desires of residents already living in the area are also considered.

He pointed to changes already made to the proposal for the area south of the former Whitehorse Copper mine, such as the clean-up of the former military dump sites.

He suggested there have to be changes in the way such projects happen in the city.

'We've really got to find a better way to do land development in the city,' he said. 'And we have to work on a way to resolve these problems before they ever come to council.'

Prior to the development coming to council for rezoning and subdivision approval, it went through a territorial process because the territory is the land developer.

A number of residents of nearby neighbourhoods took issue with the environmental assessment the territory did.

'The process that was done was a hurried process in that it didn't have to go through this new YESAA (Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Act),' Duncan said in her presentation to council.

She added YESSA brings in a number of different interested parties for such assessments.

Steve Cardiff, the NDP MLA for Mount Lorne, compared the environmental assessment by the territory to a paycheque.

'In some respects, it's like signing your own paycheque,' he said.

The other change proposed by Graham deleted part of the third phase of the subdivision in the development agreement which would see an access road built at the Alaska Highway, near the Meadow Lakes golf course, in the 2007/2008 fiscal year.

As Coun. Dave Stockdale pointed out though, the city had already suggested that to the territory, which turned it down.

'We're basically drawing a line in the sand,' he said.

Area residents opposed to the development pointed to numerous traffic concerns around having a new access to the highway. Earlier in the meeting, Cardiff said the access is one of the most contentious issues among residents of the nearby subdivisions he's spoken to.

'I'm not totally convinced the road is a major, major problem in that situation,' Stockdale said. 'It complies with Canadian standards. And traffic is a moot point in the territory anyways.'

Despite not wanting to see the road taken out of the development agreement, Coun. Dave Austin said he would support Graham's motion in order to have some compromise.

Down the road, he said, if there are a lot of people living out there, it could create another battle in the area.

'It's not a dead issue at this point,' he said.

Not going ahead with the road at this point could mean higher taxes for Whitehorse residents in the future, Coun. Bev Buckway suggested.

Under the development agreement, prior to Graham's changes, the territory would have included the road construction as part of the overall development. If it's found a road is needed later, the city will be left to foot the bill.

'Given the financial constraints the city's under now, we'd be looking at a tax increase to pay for that road,' Buckway said. 'And to me, that's maybe not the most responsible thing to be doing at this point.'

She suggested the road could eventually cost the city approximately $250,000.

Buckway was the only councillor to vote against Graham's second amendment to the plan.

Coun. Jan Stick agreed that the road may go in at some point. She voted in favour of Graham's motion.

'If anything I've learned in the last couple of months is nothing is written in stone,' she said.

Council also heard from Barney Smith, who made a presentation for opponent Harvey Jessup, who was out of town.

In that presentation, council was questioned about what would happen if there are any problems with the test wells planned to be drilled.

Council then passed the main motion, which approved the subdivision for the 110 country residential and 25 service industrial lots development on Commissioner's land.

The city's director of operations, Dennis Shewfelt, said the lots may not amount to that number because there is usually fine-tuning of the development when crews start the groundwork.

Said Graham: 'I personally believe that if we give them a footprint on the map and say, This is the area that is developable,' they should be able to develop a maximum number of lots within that footprint.'

Developers want to ensure they use the land in the best possible way, he said.

The development agreement also proposes 14 walkways and three parks for the area.

The usual 10-per-cent public use land dedication will be taken in the form of the parks and walkways.

Shewfelt said the next step will be up to the territory in whether it decides to proceed with the plans.

Duncan reported already seeing surveyors in the area.

Both she and Cardiff told the city of the level of frustration area residents are experiencing with the proposal.

'Enough is enough,' Duncan said. 'We've had it.'

She then noted a number of residents who have approached council on the matter who didn't attend last night's meeting.

'Now you guys have created mistrust,' she said.

It's become apparent to Duncan that 'It's all about the money,' as she told Stockdale when he questioned her on what the cost to the lots would be if 13 of them were removed.

'To me, it's not about that at all,' she said. 'It's about what's going to happen to the detriment of the people living there.'