In a lively debate at Tuesday night's city council meeting, a Riverdale resident said he plans to file a court injunction on the grounds of health concerns to prevent further residential development in his neighbourhood.

Supported by his wife, Iona, Riverdale resident Tom Irvine said he will file an injunction a legal move which will prevent an action from occurring by order of the court if the city acts on a study outlining development options in Riverdale.

Irvine said he does not support further development in the Riverdale area because of the toxic cloud hanging over the area which is produced from oil and wood burning stoves as well as vehicle emissions.

'I am not prepared to compromise my health for the sake of losing a greenbelt and developing 23 or 44 homes, whatever the number is,' he said.

'I would gladly agree with development as suggested if it did not add toxic particulates into an already-polluted area,' said Irvine. He has sent 29 e-mails to council on the issue without receiving a reply, he added.

'Riverdale is the most polluted and heavily-populated area I have ever lived in,' Irvine said.

He said in light of recent oil-price hikes, which have seen the price of oil jump from about 74 cents to 90 cents a litre in the last year, he was concerned that people in Riverdale may consider switching to woodstoves, which could make the problem even worse.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wood smoke contains a variety of chemicals, including: carbon monoxide, methane, acrolein, formaldehyde, benzene, acetic acid, formic acid, nitrogen oxides as well as sulfur dioxide.

During the meeting, senior city planner Mike Gau presented the findings of a feasibility study done on Riverdale outlining several development options.

The study summarizes four options that city planners feel could be used if development in Riverdale were to take place.

ï The first option calls for the development of 44 lots at a cost of about $44,000-per-lot.

ï The second option is similar to option one, with some differences, and has a cost of $46,000-per-lot.

ï Option three calls for 23 single-family lots, at a cost of $47,000-per-lot, as-well-as one multi-family unit site with 37 units at a cost of $23,255-per-unit.

ï The final option calls for 17 single-family lots, at a cost of $72,000-per-lot as-well-as a multi-family site containing 28 units which would have a market value of $725,000.

On several occasions throughout his presentation, Gau said the options did not represent a development plan and were only a look at what could be done.

'This is only a feasibility study,' he said.

Irvine said he was upset that council was even considering development in the Riverdale area in light of concerns that both he and local physician Dr. Tony de la Mare have raised regarding health problems in the area.

In an April 23 letter to council, de la Mare said in his professional opinion, the air quality in Riverdale is poor and detrimental to residents' health.

'We have lived in Riverdale for the past 19 years and are well aware of its poor air quality.

'During cold spells in winter, smoke from vehicles, furnaces and wood stoves just hangs in the valley, making breathing very unpleasant and dangerous to health,' de la Mare wrote.

In his letter, de la Mare said he is advising any patients who have respiratory problems to move out of the neighbourhood.

In an interview this morning, Coun. Dave Austin, who is acting mayor while Ernie Bourassa is out of the city on vacation, said he is aware of both Irvine's and de la Mare's concerns.

'Personally, I'm aware of what Mr. Irvine has sent in his letters,' Austin said.

'He mentioned 29 e-mails sent; I have over 100. Some of them may be duplicates, but ....'

He said he did not respond to Irvine because he felt a response would encourage 'a flood of letters.'

Austin said while he's aware of the health concerns highlighted by de la Mare, he felt it's just one opinion and he was not 'officially aware' of any legitimate health concerns.

'We're dealing with one man's opinion (de la Mare's) on the subject. We need a second opinion.

'It is a tough issue to deal with. With respect to Mr. Irvine, if I was living in an area that I thought was detrimental to my health, I would move. There's no reason I should let my health affect the way other people live,' Austin said.

He said he favoured the development of 23 units (option three) in Riverdale and he hoped any residents in Riverdale who favour development would come forth and make their voices heard.

In a March 21 letter to Gau, Michael Racz, the president of the Yukon Real Estate Association, said he felt developments, such as the one in Riverdale, would be positive for the community.

'This action may not be a popular development initially for the residents of the areas where the planning is taking place, but it does benefit the city and its taxpayers by providing much needed housing alternatives at a reduced development cost,' Racz wrote.

In his letter, Racz said he believes development would raise property values.

He said many buyers wouldn't mind the loss of greenbelt space because the areas were considered by many to be a place for criminal activity, depositing garbage and posed a fire hazard.

Wood stoves started to become very popular in suburban Whitehorse about 25 years ago, when the federal government offered financial assistance to those interested in switching to wood heat.

In the 1980s, a study linked school children's exposure to Riverdale woodsmoke to learning difficulties in the classroom.