City council is advancing development of the Tank Farm into a new residential area.

Council reviewed the proposal at its meeting on Monday with an aim to hire a consulting team to develop a Tank Farm Master Plan.

“A master plan is required to ensure that the Tank Farm area is developed logically and in a co-ordinated manner,” says the administrative report prepared for council.

“The Tank Farm Master Plan will provide high-level direction for future detailed engineering and land use planning work, such as zoning, subdivision, and development permits.

“A consultant will lead the project, including completing background studies, concept plans and a master plan.”

The report says the master plan will provide a land use plan, parks and trails plan, major transportation and servicing plans.

It will look at contamination considerations and provide residential unit and commercial area estimates, along with a feasibility and cost analysis.

The recommendation before council is to commence the procurement of planning services for the Tank Farm master plan.

The proposal will be back before council next Monday for a decision.

Council’s approval is required for any procurement in excess of $500,000 or any procurement less than $500,000 that is deemed to have significant public interest.

The administrative report says the procurement of planning services will be less than $500,000, but the project has significant public interest.

The Tank Farm Master Plan involves high-level residential neighbourhood planning for the 116 hectares of vacant land that sit between the Valleyview, Hillcrest and McIntyre neighbourhoods.

For decades, the area served as a fuel storage facility for hydrocarbon products from the Port of Skagway that were sent to Whitehorse by a pipeline.

Remediation of the site began in the 1990s.

Part of the land has received a Certificate of Compliance from the Ministry of Environment for restoration of the site, the document says.

“A portion of the site is on well-drained gravel, which has allowed the contamination to seep beyond the remediation depth,” says the administrative report

“As a result, the site continues to operate several groundwater monitoring wells to track the long-term contamination of the site. The full implications of this will be reviewed through the master plan process.”

Because of the contamination of a large portion of the site, the city created a direct control district over the area that allows council to control the use an development of the land.

The Direct Control District prohibits the removal of gravel and the processing of gravel on the site. It also prohibits relocation of gravel within the site.

The administrative report notes that the planning process will involve public engagement and the involvement of the nine parties with interest including the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Ta’an Kwach’an Council.

“Upon project completion, responsibility will pass to the individual landowners to complete detailed engineering, zoning amendment, subdivision applications, lot sales, and construction,” says the report.

“These aspects are beyond the scope of this municipality-led master plan process.”