Takhini North residents have been encouraged to set aside $24,000 worth of cost concerns to participate in a planning workshop on the future of their neighbourhood.

Mark O'Brien, president of the Takhini North Community Association, said this morning his organization is looking forward to co-operating with the city in a design charrette Saturday. However, the cost for replacing infrastructure in their neighbourhood is still an issue, he added.

'As an association, we've encouraged everyone in the neighbourhood to attend the charrette.

'We're looking forward to the design charrette being positive,' he said.

A charrette process involves professional planners, engineers and members of the community sitting down and working on a design concept for a community.

Saturday's Takhini North charrette will be taking place at the Canada Games Centre in the fitness area. It will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The first design charrette in Whitehorse was for the lower Porter Creek bench, which ended in the Whistle Bend planning concept.

O'Brien said many residents are still concerned with a $24,000 estimate given by the city as the cost of replacing the subdivision's ailing water and sewer lines.

At the time of sale, residents were provided with a $6,000 figure by the sales agent as the cost of new infrastructure.

Each house in Takhini North is connected house-to-house in series, meaning if one property's plumbing system fails, every other property on the same system will fail.

The property was purchased in 1998 by local lawyers Murray Leitch, Terry Boylan and Tim Preston for $2 million from Public Works Canada.

O'Brien said the water and sewer issue was previously threatening the charrette process but that the community association is looking to handle the matter with city council as opposed to city administration.

'There was a distinct possibility of the infrastructure derailing the process. We're trying to keep the cost issues separate from the design concept.

'We just feel we want to bring our concerns forward to mayor and council. We don't feel our concerns have been well represented, and we'd like the opportunity to give those concerns,' O'Brien said.

Zoe Morrison, a senior planner with the city, said there are a number of goals in the charrette, including how infrastructure will be put into the existing area, where new houses will go and what the roads will look like.

'The last thing we're going to talk about is preliminary design guidelines.

'Takhini North is a unique neighbourhood,' she said.

The development, she added, called for the removal of the existing disc golf course that currently lies in the development area.

Morrison said the planning department is looking at higher-density housing for the neighbourhood and is hoping to plan for as many as 104 new units in the neighbourhood.

'We're definitely thinking multi-family buildings and duplexes.'

'We're hoping to come up with a design that comes up with that,' she said.

The neighbourhood currently has 41 duplexes as well as townhouses located at the corner of Normandy and Range Roads.

Morrison said the city is asking people to sign up for the charrette.

City manager Dennis Shewfelt said the charrette process is open to everyone but that the city will be focusing on the views of current Takhini North residents as they would be the people most impacted by development.

Shewfelt said the city is still looking into various options for the infrastructure for the neighbourhood and has not come up with final cost estimates.

'We don't have all the options fully explored yet. We haven't reached a conclusion on that.

'We sincerely hope it's not an impediment on the discussions of what the future development in the area will look like.'

Anyone interested in learning more about the charrette or participating in it can call 668-8338.