After spending 17 months and more than $30,000 pushing the city to permit building in a Porter Creek greenbelt, developer Daryl Novakowski is leaving the Yukon.

'I've had enough of the city of Whitehorse,' Novakowski told the Star in an interview Tuesday.

'It's not a city; it's a town, and it's going back in time.'

While municipalities in other provinces are encouraging development, the City of Whitehorse is continuing to put up roadblocks, he said.

Novakowski first approached city council early this year asking for an Official Community Plan amendment to rezone the Holly Street greenbelt from a protected area to residential to develop 28 houses.

His request was denied because he is not the landowner.

He then returned to council in April with a letter from Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang to act as an agent of the government, the landowner thus permitting him to apply for the amendment.

That time, he asked the city to consider the development of 44 houses.

But the city was then in negotiations with the government to turn the greenbelt into a park.

Many area residents have stressed they want the site to remain wilderness.

Novakowski said he had known for weeks the city was going to 'pull the plug' on the proposed project.

Novakowski is sick of the city, he said, and is now going to take his money and investments elsewhere.

'This town doesn't appreciate money. There's too many rules and regulation,' he said.

The city has left a '$3.5 million gift' dead in the water, said Novakowski.

His contract with Polar Group has also recently been terminated despite additional time remaining on it, he said.

The combination of the land and the end of the contract has spurred his decision to leave Whitehorse on Thursday, after living and working here for seven years.

He will be moving his family to Kelowna, B.C., where he plans to continue to work in the information technology sector and land development.

'I refuse to do business in a town that doesn't respect anyone or anybody,' said Novakowski. 'I'm disappointed in the lot of them.'

Novakowski said he has lost quite a bit of money during his ordeal to try to secure the land and in the abrupt decision to leave town and try to sell off his businesses and home.

It's a big change, he said.

'I'm not looking back. To have taken a loss like that and to not even make it to the first reading (of enabling legislation by council).'

At one point during his presentations to council, Novakowski presented a petition with more than 250 signatures of Whitehorse residents who supported his development initiative.

'I want to thank the people in the Yukon who supported it and supported me,' he said.

More than once during his years as a city councillor, Dave Stockdale has been asked to consider development proposals on the Holly Street property.

Each time, he has voted against it, even when it was proposed as the site for Holy Family Elementary School. The school was subsequently built off Wann Road in the early 1990s.

The Holly Street site was then and continues now to be used by residents for outdoor recreation, Stockdale told council.

'It's a very valuable piece of property (as a park),' he said during Monday night's council meeting before the 3-2 vote in favour of denying Novakowski's OCP amendment to redesignate the land.

The city had already begun working on having the area become parkland held by the city before Novakowski came forward with his proposal, Coun. Doug Graham said.

'We as a council directed administration to pursue this as a park purchase,' he said.

Councillors Mel Stehelin and Dave Austin disagreed.

Austin, acting as mayor in Ernie Bourassa's absence, believes Novakowski had the right to at least go through the process before his proposal was turned down.

He said he would vote against the recommendation to deny the amendment if only to give Novakowski 'his day in court.'