The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce is praising a move by the city that could have new single-family lots on the market later this year.

At a news conference this morning, the city announced plans to open six Porter Creek sites that are already designated for residential urban housing and zoned as single-detached housing.

The zone allows for single-detached houses and duplexes.

It also means the city doesn't have to proceed with the referendum or planning studies that are sometimes required for proposed developments that demand new zoning.

The city will first look for public input before council votes on whether to proceed with the plans, before a decision is made. If approved, a request would go to the territorial government to put the lots on the market as soon as possible.

"Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in demand for property," Mayor Bev Buckway told reporters.

She pointed to the number of delegations coming from the private sector to ask council to open up more single-family lots.

The lots are:

• a 2,500 square metre section of land off Clyde Wann Road, close to Boxwood Crescent and Basswood Street, owned by the government;

• a 1,000 square metre property at the corner of Boxwood Crescent and Clyde Wann Road, owned by the city;

• 1,900 square metres at 14th Avenue and Holly Street, owned by the territory;

• 5,500 square metres at the ends of Holly Street and 13th Avenue, owned by the territory;

• 17,000 square metres of territorial property off Montainview Drive and Hemlock Street; and

• 6,100 square metres, also owned by the territory, between Grove Street and a greenbelt area.

The properties are all in Porter Creek after lingering for years on the city's books as possibilities for development.

"The long and short of that is these parcels have all been identified in the Official (Community) Plan and the zoning for residential purposes; however, they have never been serviced in the past," said city manager Dennis Shewfelt.

The properties have been designated for residential use since the 1970s. While Shewfelt isn't sure why city services were never extended to the sites nor opened up as residential properties, he suggessted it may have been cost-prohibitive to extend services there.

With the current demand for lots and prices, the cost of water and sewer services to each site (paid by the developer) may be more economical than it was before, Shewfelt said.

The infill developments fit with the city's plans to add more density to current neighbourhoods rather than sprawling to new areas, it was noted.

"We are meeting our goals," Buckway said.

With this plan in line with the current OCP, Shewfelt noted the review of the city's planning document in the fall could identify similar areas in other subdivisions as development sites for new homes.

A public meeting will be hosted from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday in the Porter Creek Secondary School cafeteria on the plans, with a presentation scheduled for 7 p.m.

Residents will then have until June 25 to comment with a report coming to council at its July 7 meeting and a vote on whether to go ahead with the plan on July 14.

"At some point, we have to get past the bit about, 'Oh, I bought it because we knew nobody would ever live behind me' or, 'It's blocking my view,' or some of these issues," Buckway said.

"And council is trying to provide options for people who need places to live in our town, so we would very much like to see this move forward," Buckway said.

The properties include 22 existing lots on the six sites that could potentially be subdivided and reconfigured. They would potentially mean anywhere from 36 to 51 units, depending on what plans come forward for the properties.

How long it takes to release the properties after city approval will depend on the government, Shewfelt said, though he added there's a possibility residents could be moving into some of the new properties by December.

While the city plans for land development within the city boundaries, it's up to the territory to release the land being used and the rest will be up to developers.

"This gives some opportunity to the private sector to design and implement buildings and providing lots to the market in the city of Whitehorse," said planning manager Mike Gau.

"It will be their design. It will be their cost to extend the services and it will be the private sector putting forward the lots."

If the plan goes ahead, it would also mean an opportunity to see whether private industry can bring on residential developments faster and cheaper than government has, Gau said.

The most recent call from the private sector for more lots to open up came during a delegation late last month, with presentations from realtors, contractors and those in businesses that deal with contractors.

"It may appear that this is a quick return on a delegation or a submission to council, but in fact this has been in the works for a number of months and it's only now we have all the information compiled necessary to bring these forward at this time," Shewfelt said.

Rick Karp, president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, praised the city today, deeming it a "move in the right direction".

Many skilled workers are coming to the territory and either want to buy a home when they get here or rent for a short period of up to a year and then either buy or build their own homes, he said.

"They want to buy," he said. "There's not anything."

Initiatives that can move single-family lot development ahead in the city faster while other developments come on line is a bonus, he said.