SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Eighteen of the 20 general industrial lots in the Engle Business District remain unsold more than a year after they were put on the market, while 16 new business industrial lots have just opened up, with two recently sold.

The industrial area, located between Kam Lake and Highway 3, was supposed to divert large trucks from driving through the city on Old Airport Road, but when a ballot draw was held in October 2009, only one person showed up.

Jeff Humble, the city's planning and development manager, said at the time he hoped interest would pick up in the spring.

His hopes haven't been met.

Nalini Naidoo, manager of planning and lands for the city, said she thinks one of the reasons for the lack of sales was the incomplete road leading to the area.

"The road's in and that's what everyone was waiting for was the bypass road," she said. "There is interest in the area. We just sold lots 23 and 24 very recently."

The lots vary in size from 1.2 acres to 3.7 acres and range in price from $177,307 to $440,015.

The city has an incentive bylaw for industrial uses to relocate to the Engle Business District, said Naidoo, who pointed out there are no available industrial lots in the Kam Lake area right now.

Incentives include tax abatements for projects that encourage Smart Growth development and redevelopment initiatives.

The district is different from the Kam Lake area because caretaker residences are not allowed for public safety reasons, said Naidoo.

"There are tank farms out there and other types of uses where we've got to deal with fire safety and public safety, as well," she said.

On Dec. 6 city council will consider amendments to the zoning bylaws in the district to deal with some of the industrial uses that will take place on the newly sold business industrial lots.

She said the changes have to do with the newly sold lots being used for bulk fuel storage.

If council approves the amendments, there will be "a certain radius where big gathering places are not going to be permitted," Naidoo said.

Currently Robinson Enterprise Ltd. (RTL) has a tank farm in the district and ARS trucking, a company doing truck staging for the mines, operates there as well.

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