Council briefs
Parking meter rates, placement reviewed
City seeks to encourage use of long-term spots over short
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, June 26, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Changes are expected to be made to the number of parking meters downtown, the cost to use nine-hour meters and the locations of the nine-hour meters.
Public safety director Dennis Marchiori said the department is looking to reduce the rate for nine-hour meters from $1.25 per hour to $0.75 per hour to encourage workers to use the longer meters. That's thought to be a way to free up the short-term meters downtown for shoppers.
Given resident concerns about two-hour meters installed in front of their homes, Marchiori said the city wants to review whether those should be switched for nine-hour meters.
Over the next two years the city plans to increase the number of nine-hour meters from the 34 installed in 2014 to 227 by 2016.
The plan is to install nine-hour meters between 51 Avenue and 52 Avenue on 51 Street, 52 Street and a portion of 53 Street.
In 2016, meters are to be installed on the 46 Street northwest of Franklin Avenue and 47 Street southeast of Franklin.
During a municipal services committee meeting Tuesday, Coun. Adrian Bell sought to have administration conduct a broader review of meter placements.
For instance, he said some business owners have requested one-hour meters be changed out for longer meters.
There was general support for his proposal.
The changes still have to be approved by council. The topic is expected to be raised during the July council meeting.
Regional plan needed, says mining consultant
A business consultant who works with mining companies spent more than half an hour presenting his pitch for why the city and the GNWT need to start working on a regional land-use plan.
David Connelly, owner of Ile Royale Enterprises Ltd., said the GNWT's focus on consulting on simply cabin leases instead of a broader picture land-use is setting the region up for future conflict.
"We need to have the much-bigger discussion about the land around Yellowknife," Connelly told councillors during a Tuesday afternoon committee meeting.
"Very easily now we could take the time to create a regional land-use plan."
Such a plan would consider things like mining, transportation and energy corridors, as well as recreational land use.
When he's raised the idea with other levels of government, he's been told it can't happen without settled land claims.
Coun. Cory Vanthuyne was the only one to ask questions to Connelly, saying he was "really encouraged" by the presentation.
Mayor Mark Heyck said there was an effort several years ago to create a land-use plan, and that effort has recently been revived.
He said the ideas would be brought to city administration for further discussion.
"I think there's an appetite by all the parties to come together on a regional land-use plan," Heyck said.
City moving to add more property to market
Council voted to have administration begin work to develop a piece of property in Kam Lake known as the Hordal Bagon land.
The three lots, between existing residential and industrial development, comprise 2.18 hectares. For years, the city has tried to sell the land between Hordal Drive and Utsingi Drive for $745,000.
Earlier this year administration sought approval to go ahead with preparation of a development scheme, construction design, subdivision and marketing plan. Council granted that approval Tuesday evening. Coun. Niels Konge declared a conflict of interest because he owns nearby land and left council chambers during the vote.
A development concept shows 13-metre and 15-metre-wide lots intended for both manufactured and stick-built-homes on 26 properties.
To prepare the sites and infrastructure was estimated to cost $3,22 million if a sidewalk is included.
