The Yukon government wants the former site of Macaulay Lodge rezoned so future development can include a mix of commercial and residential space.

Advocates, however, are asking Whitehorse city council to put housing first.

The former seniors home on Klondike Road in Riverdale was demolished last year.

The government initially said it would “redevelop the Macaulay Lodge site to build homes for Yukoners.” 

The government is now asking the city to rezone the site so it can be sold to the private sector and developed as a mixed commercial and residential property.

The site is currently zoned as a mix of Public Services, which allows for housing but not commercial developments, and Protected Greenbelt, to be left undisturbed.

The proposed amendment would allow commercial businesses on the ground floor of the future development, with residential housing built on top.

Advocates from the community spoke to council Monday night, asking them to put housing first. Frank Bachmier is with the Yukon Council of Aging.

“To sell it off to private enterprise to build a commercial situation is just out of the question,” Bachmier told council.

He said there are more than 200 Yukoners waiting for seniors’ housing, and Macauley Lodge should be replaced with just that.

He said he fears selling the lodge for private development that includes commercial property wouldn’t incentivize developers to create affordable seniors’ housing, nor affordable housing in general.

“It’s going to end up with high-end condos to justify profit for the operation,” said Bachmier, who outlined his concerns in a letter to former premier Sandy Silver. It was published in last Friday’s Star.

Bachmier asked council to wait to approve the zoning amendment until the Yukon Council on Aging had more time to speak with the territory and negotiate for seniors’ housing.

His letter asked Silver not to sell the property, but to ensure new seniors’ housing is built there. He told council he has not received a reply from the ex-premier.

Kristina Craig of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition isn’t opposed to the commercial rezoning, but also emphasized the need for housing at the site to serve the community.

“Affordability is a dramatic issue here,” she said. “One of the pieces around affordability is housing supply.”

Craig referenced a recent Yukon Bureau of Statistics report that found one in six Yukoners is spending more than 30 per cent of his or her gross annual income on housing.

That exceeds the common benchmark of affordability used by groups like the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. 

The report also found more than 10 per cent of Whitehorse households are either unsuitable, inadequate or, overwhelmingly, unaffordable.

Craig said increasing housing supply is imperative for improving housing affordability in the city. More than that, she said, housing with rents attached to household income is worth considering.

“We see that there’s a valuable piece of land that could be used for housing folks who are low-income or facing other challenges,” she said, noting the property is close to services and bus routes.

“We just hope that that’s part of the consideration that you give when you’re looking at the zoning changes.”

A Yukon Housing Corp. (YHC) spokesperson said in an email to the Star last week that allowing commercial businesses on the ground floor of a future development will “will make the most use of the land, which allows for a higher-density, multi-family development in addition to commercial use.”

The YHC said it anticipates selling the property through public tender in the spring. 

“Ensuring seniors have adequate housing remains a priority for this government,” the YHC statement said.

“Other initiatives, such as Normandy Living, will fill a gap in the housing market by providing supportive housing for seniors who would benefit from additional support but are not in need of long-term care.”

The zoning amendment will return to council for a second reading next month.

The lodge first opened in 1969.