The top corner of the Cornerstone Community Building on 7th Avenue and Main Street in downtown Whitehorse, at six stories, is currently the tallest building in the downtown core. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – Whitehorse City Council is expected to revisit a topic during tonight’s council meeting that’s been met with opposition in recent weeks but Councillor Ted Laking is standing by his passed motion that led to building height limits in the downtown core reaching 40 meters.
Councillor Laking originally introduced the motion rewording parts of the city’s Official Community Plan (OCP) that limits building heights from 25 meters to 35 meters. A separate motion, which was passed, pushed the limit higher to 40 meters.
The move aims to help spur downtown densification to alleviate housing affordability. Laking says the OCP’s original height limits were based on projections placing the population of Whitehorse at 40,600 by 2040 but new stats from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics indicate that Whitehorse could reach as high as 54,000 by the same year.
“I think that this is a very important discussion our community is having because we are having a housing crisis,” said Laking. “What I and a number of counselors have been saying for a year or more is that our plans were based on data that was very outdated and that our projections for how much growth our community was experiencing, were not realistic.”
Nathan Miller, President of the Downtown Resident’s Association (DRA), aired numerous concerns over the height change during the council meeting on May 6th.
He referenced stats that the DRA compiled indicating that one-third of 1,200 mixed-use lots in the downtown core are not developed and that 99 percent of buildings do not exceed four stories. Miller says he understands the importance of thoughtful densification but suggests this move is unnecessary.
Councillor Laking says that increased building height limits are not a silver bullet to easing housing affordability. Other measures need to complement a height increase, including zoning amendments and opening up underused federal lands for development. While acknowledging the validity of the concerns raised Laking says affordability issues overshadow any concerns over building shadows.
“I understand the concern, but as elected politicians, we have to make tough choices for the future of our community, and when weighing the balance of things I am more concerned with ensuring that people have a home to live in, and people can afford to pay for the groceries and people can afford to pay their mortgages than I am about some shadows,” said Laking.
Not only have some residents voiced concerns over the move but Whitehorse Mayor Laura Cabott and Councillor Dan Boyd voted against the increased amendments resulting in a 5-2 passage.
Councillor Laking expressed optimism over the debate occurring around building heights.
“I’m very heartened by the fact our community is having a tough conversation but a very important conversation. That is, how are we going to address growth? How are we going to ensure people are housed? And how are we going to do it in an efficient manner?”
