The city will begin its first-ever land lottery and bidding process today with the sale of several residentially-zoned properties in Porter Creek.

It was announced Thursday that packages for both the lottery and bid process would be available after 2 p.m. today.

Ten of the 11 single-family lots will be at the site of the former Stan McCowan Arena, now Stan McCowan Place, with the remaining single-family lot available at 1 Boxwood Cres. on the corner of Clyde Wann Road.

The Boxwood property went undeveloped for a number of years, with the city announcing it would be one of six properties open for residential development this past spring.

The other properties to be opened are owned by the Yukon government.

While the single-family lots the city is selling will go through the lottery system, the multiple housing areas at Stan McCowan Place will go to the highest bidder above the minimum price.

Those lots are all at Stan McCowan Place and include one multi-family lot along with two sets of five-unit townhouses.

"We have been getting quite a few calls," city planner Zoe Morrison said this morning of interest in the new sites.

Numerous parties have called for more single residential lots to open in the city, pointing to the lot shortage and high demand for homes in the community.

The lottery for the single-family sites will close on Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. while bids on the other sites will close on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.

Among the lots, there are four that are large enough to have a duplex, including the one at the 1,000-square-metre Boxwood site and three of the Stan McCowan Place lots that are more than the minimum 835 square metres of land required for duplexes.

The single-family lots at Stan McCowan Place range from 550 square metres to more than 1,000 square metres for some properties, Morrison said.

The multi-family zone sits at 5,870 square metres, but just how many units are built on the site will depend on what plans are put forward for the site, she said.

The townhouse lots will be quite narrow, sold in two groups of five, Morrison said.

The usual zoning regulations for single-detached homes will apply to the Boxwood Crescent site, but the single-family properties at Stan McCowan Place will be subject to the new comprehensive development zones approved by council earlier this year.

Morrison noted the city put a lot of work into coming up with the new regulations designed to be more aesthetically pleasing, pedestrian-oriented and such.

The neighbourhood will feature sidewalks on both sides of the street with a landscaping between the road and main sidewalk. There will also be an upgraded playground in the area.

Access to the new lots will be through the rear lane for the most part. With no access through the front, the new homes won't feature garages in the front of the homes, such as other houses around the city have. Morrison argued the regulation will contribute to the aesthetic appearance of the area.

The city wasn't releasing the price of the lots, or minimum bids, until after the packages were available this afternoon, Morrison said.

The city has gotten estimates and based its pricing on fair market conditions and its costs in developing the area, she added.

Packages can be picked up at city hall.