Plans for a massive 19,000-square-foot expansion to the MacBride Museum of Yukon History have been scaled back, planning manager Pat Ross told city council Monday night.

The issue came up when Mayor Dan Curtis noted a meeting of council and senior management set for today had been cancelled, and questioned Ross about it.

The meeting was to focus on a number of zoning amendments that would allow the expansion as it was initially proposed.

They included:

• an encroachment that would go over the sidewalk on Front Street as well as allowing a small section of foundation onto the side of Steele Street;

• in-kind support from the city for the annual encroachment fee (estimated at approximately $4,000 per year based on the current land value);

• removing waterfront design guidelines and parking requirements; and

• allowing MacBride to build up to the property line.

As Ross explained to council, the revised design meets all but one zoning requirement for two additional parking spots.

The limited space on the museum’s 2,236-square-metre lot make it difficult to add the additional exhibition space planned and provide parking, museum officials have noted, pointing out that many museum visitors walk to Front Street from local hotels and don’t require parking.

It asked the city to waive the requirement for off-site parking.

“That’s still on the table,” Ross said.

He stressed the city is no longer being asked to consider the encroachment, nor to waive the requirements on design and building to the property line.

He could not say exactly how much of the new expansion space would be lost with the changes, but confirmed the new plans bring the expansion area back about three feet into the property.

Even if council opts not to waive the parking regulations, the museum has the option of making a cash-in-lieu payment of about $18,000 for each parking space required, Ross said.

MacBride is set to receive a total of $6 million for the expansion, with both the federal and territorial governments contributing $3 million each.

Construction is expected to get underway this fall, though the city’s zoning approval will be required first.

A public hearing on the overall changes to the zoning in the initial proposal was already set for next week’s council meeting.

Ross said that will go ahead as planned, though anyone speaking would be asked to limit their comments to the parking issue.

An amendment dealing with design changes will then come forward at second reading.

If that’s approved by council, the revised plans would then be up for discussion followed by second and third readings.

Patricia Cunning, the museum’s executive director, stressed in a brief discussion this morning the project is continuing to move forward, with the museum seeking the parking exemption.