City council could be taking a second look at rezoning the 40 Wann Rd. site.

That possibility was raised after a motion was defeated thanks to a 3-3 tie vote last Monday night by the six council members who attended the meeting.

In an interview Thursday, Coun. Dave Austin, who was absent Monday night, said he plans to bring forward a motion that council reconsider the rezoning.

'I don't have a problem with it,' he said.

When there is a tie vote at council, the motion is defeated.

Councillors Bev Buckway, Doug Graham and Mel Stehelin voted in favour of the rezoning. Voting against it were Mayor Ernie Bourassa and councillors Yvonne Harris, who attended the meeting via conference call, and Dave Stockdale.

Austin, who was on his way back to Whitehorse from vacation, stopped over in Vancouver to attend the Cordilleran Roundup event as a city representative.

Had the motion been passed, 40 Wann Rd. would have been rezoned to Residential Single Detached (RS) from Country Residential 2 Restricted (RC2x), allowing for more housing.

While no one appeared at a public hearing to speak on the matter, three residents wrote letters against the rezoning.

This morning, Austin said he's only heard of a couple of people being against the rezoning application.

Because he doesn't see an issue with it, Austin plans to bring forward a notice of motion next Monday night at its weekly meeting. The issue will then likely be discussed at the following council meeting.

'It's difficult for me to understand why council would want to vote against (the rezoning),' Graham argued at Monday's meeting.

He pointed out the city's Official Community Plan (OCP) calls for more higher-density housing, rather than country residential developments.

There's also no guarantee for those who buy country residential properties that the surrounding area won't change to allow for more development in the future, he said.

Harris took issue with the OCP. The document, which serves as a planning guide for the city, doesn't recognize the lifestyle some residents have chosen.

She suggested the OCP is a flexible document for the city.

Bourassa suggested this is one issue the city missed when reviewing the OCP.

'It slipped by me,' he admitted.

While Stockdale noted the intent of the OCP is to increase housing density in the city, he pointed out this is a rezoning issue.

'It's not just a subdivision,' he said.

Buckway, however, believes the city has no choice but to allow the rezoning. Speaking to area residents, she found most didn't have a problem with the application.

'There is a process here that we follow,' Buckway said. She suggested council follow administration's recommendation that second and third readings of the rezoning bylaw come forward.