Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 26/04) - The president of the Yellowknife Real Estate Board says it's not only "tree huggers" who are opposed to flatten and slash development in the city.

Shane Clark, who runs Homelife Sunrise Real Estate with his parents, said would-be home buyers are starting to complain about a number of development projects that have put lower costs and expediency over aesthetics.

Shane Clark, president of the Yellowknife Real Estate Board, said it's not only "tree huggers" who are opposed to blast-and-level development.

"Increasingly, people that I talked to, whether they're newcomers to town or have lived here, are saying they're tired of seeing the blast and level approach to development," said Clark.

"Yellowknife is known as a beautiful place to take pictures, but if we're going to be living in a gravel pit eventually, what's the beauty in that?"

O'Reilly and tree huggers

Clark was responding to comments made by developer Mike Mrdjenovich in last week's Yellowknifer, where he suggested city councillor Kevin O'Reilly "and his tree huggers" were to blame for holding back his apartment project on Old Airport Road.

Although he hasn't discussed the issue extensively with the real estate board, Clark contends that it's not just the usual, tree-loving suspects who are fed up with the city's apparent preference for putting on kid gloves while dealing with developers.

"(Mrdjenovich) feels it's a conspiracy," said Clark.

"But if people are deliberately putting up roadblocks maybe it's based on past performance.

"I'm not an activist or an environmentalist as defined by society, but myself and my family have decided to stay here a long time, and I'm just a concerned citizen who happens to be real estate agent."

Yellowknife architect Gino Pin said Yellowknife could become overrun with strip malls and monotonous rows of condominiums unless City Hall can learn to tame the demands from developers.

He said a strict standard on building over rock and green space often means higher costs and a smaller number of units to sell for developers.

"Too many of them are driven by greed," said Pin.

"Any way they can make an extra dollar they'll move in that direction. If the developers feel they can coerce the city in reducing those standards then they'll do that."

He said part of the problem is that most developers don't live here.

"Very few of them are residents," said Pin.

"There only interest is in making a dollar not creating an environment in which they are comfortable."

Coldwell Banker real estate agent Ken Pearman, however, said no one has complained to him.

"We've kind of accepted that it's a difficult terrain to develop," said Pearman.

"We haven't got a huge amount of negative criticism, we really haven't."

Mrdjenovich said he is growing tired of the complaints, whether they're coming from "tree huggers" or anyone else.

"If you follow the rock slope you end up paying (expletive) $200 per square foot," said Mrdjenovich.

"That (Shane Clark) sells a few houses and he thinks he's a (expletive) expert on the son-of-a-bitch. I can build anything they want but whose going to pay for it?"

Mrdjenovich added that, as far as he can tell, there's still plenty of green space and unscathed rock surrounding Yellowknife.

"Tell them not to be lazy, they can climb rocks forever," said Mrdjenovich.

"They can reach the North Pole if they want. There's rocks all around Yellowknife."