Yellowknife looks at becoming urban winter village
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Oct 18/00) - In the year 2016 downtown Yellowknife may have evergreen trees, more benches, statues of ravens, a market, a yearly Christmas tree, no parking meters, colourful murals and streets teeming with vendors in the summer.
That is according to a recent report on urban planning produced by the city of Yellowknife and consulting firms, MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarskson Planning Limited based in Kitchener, Ont. and Terriplan Consultants Ltd. based in Yellowknife.
The report outlines changes to turn Yellowknife into an "urban winter village" which combines planning and design suited for the wintry environment with a community sense.
"I'm quite pleased with the report," said Dave Jones, city planner and co-ordinator of the report.
The futuristic report was a long time coming. City council had made urban planning a priority at the beginning of their term.
A public workshop was held on Aug. 21 to garner public opinions on the direction urban planning in Yellowknife should go.
Some of the public's recommendations made it into the report.
Another workshop will be held on Oct. 26 so the public can comment on the recommendations.
The report recommends that permit and application fees should be waived for residential development in the downtown core.
It also suggests installing more public washrooms, promoting the development of residences above businesses, on-street parking along Franklin Boulevard at all ours of the day to slow traffic down and general facade and sign regulations to match a Yellowknife theme.
The report recommends better promotion for Yellowknife by designing a logo for the downtown core that can be displayed on banners and signs.
Jones said that some things in the report could take years and said that was the reason for a 20 year projection.
"(But) some of the recommendations could take one or two years to implement if council pushed," said Jones
Jones is hoping the Oct. 26 workshop will create more positive ideas.
"We hope to move in the direction of a broad base agreement," said Jones.
