If a petition being circulated in Whitehorse gains 2,000 signatures, we're going to have a referendum on green space protection.

Only property owners, however, would be able to vote on the issue.

Last night, city council reviewed an application to hold a referendum in the city to protect local green spaces.

The application was lodged by Carole Bookless, president of the Porter Creek Community Association, last week. It proposes to have Whitehorsians vote on two questions:

ï 'Shall the City of Whitehorse pass a bylaw requiring that, for every new or existing residential subdivision, a Greenspace Plan, passed by area plebiscite, be amended into the Official Community Plan (OCP) as part of any preliminary development process in that area?'

ï 'Shall the City of Whitehorse pass a bylaw stating that it will maintain the designation of Greenspace, Greenbelt, Park, Park Reserve or Environmental Protection on any land once so designated in any OCP, unless changed by plebiscite or referendum?'

According to the city's manager of administrative services, Robert Fendrick, Bookless has until the beginning of February to get the required 2,000 signatures. If she succeeds, the city would have to draft a bylaw in line with the questions posed.

To be valid, Fendrick explained, the signatures have to be from registered electors in the city.

'They have to be Canadian citizens, 18 years or older and residents of the city for more than a year,' he said.

Fendrick said if the petition passed official scrutiny, meaning the signatures were found to be valid, the city would then have to draft a bylaw.

'We would then give the bylaw first and second reading,' he said. Third reading, the final reading before a proposal becomes law, would be done by a public vote.

He said to vote in the referendum, which is estimated to cost between $10,000 and $12,000, voters have to be people who pay municipal taxes property owners.

'If the vote is positive, the proposal automatically becomes a bylaw,' he said.

In discussing the issue at Monday night's meeting, most council members said they felt they should wait before commenting on the issue to see if the petition being circulated on the issue gains the necessary signatures.

As council's sole voice of caution during the meeting, Coun. Doug Graham said he could not support the referendum's questions as presented. He believes Whitehorsians should understand the broader long-term ramifications of a public vote on the issue.

In an interview this morning, Graham reaffirmed his position, saying he feels city officials have an obligation to speak to the issue now instead of waiting.

'I have a problem that any green space plan would have to go to plebiscite. You're talking about talking to people that are going to be directly affected by development,' Graham said.

The recent rash of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) in the city showed that most people would vote against development in their area no matter what kind of proposal they were presented with, he added.

'Nobody wants to see development in their back yard; every time we try to develop something, people in the area say it is a bad plan.

'I don't think an area plebiscite is good for the city as a whole,' he said.

Graham said while he supported the idea of having green space plans, enshrining the areas in law and making changes subject to public approval through plebiscites and referendums is not realistic from a development perspective.

'The vast majority of the city is green space. No one has projected what the city is going to look like 40 or 50 years down the road,' he said.

'We should let people know what the ramifications of this petition are before they sign it.'

Bookless could not be reached for comment.