SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Residents who purchased villas or townhomes in Phase I of the Copper Sky development at the bottom of Tin Can Hill will have to wait a couple of extra weeks, if not a month, before moving into their new homes.

"The biggest issue is not actually completing the units, but completing the road," said Brad Procter, vice-president of Highstreet Copper Sky Ventures Limited.

The delay will affect the owners of all nine townhomes and eight of the 24 villas in Phase I.

Procter said the eight villas, which are in one of three eight-plex units, are delayed because they're located close to the road entrance.

Highstreet Ventures is responsible for building the road, said Procter.

"That road entrance is going to be very busy during the month of May, doing the road," he said. "The roadwork would be so disruptive for people living there during that month.

"So it just wouldn't be a good plan."

There hasn't yet been a date set for roadwork to start, but with the weather warming up, it should begin soon, said Procter.

Move-in dates for the units are staggered, so all of the new homeowners wouldn't be trying to move on the same day, he said.

With the delay, the earliest move-in date will now be May 26, changed from May 5.

And all of the 33 units will be occupied by June 24, instead of June 13, said Procter.

The affected homeowners have been notified with a letter from the developer.

Construction of the new residential development kicked off in July 2010, with a goal of completing all 81 units by May or June of 2011.

"We aimed to have them complete in 11 months and they'll be complete in 12," said Procter. "We have a tendency to be early most places, so for us, any delay is taken pretty seriously."

Down south, when a developer finishes two weeks late, homeowners would be elated, joked Procter.

"In the south, if your builder was two weeks late, I think you'd give him a kiss. So in the North you might give him a kiss and a hug."

Phase II of the development will not be affected by the delays and should still be set for move-in dates beginning next spring.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said it's not uncommon for projects to be delayed in the North.

"That's one of the vagaries of working in a new environment," he said.

Copper Sky is Highstreet Ventures' first development in the North, but it is now working with the city to construct another multi-unit residential development for Niven Lake Phase VII.

Van Tighem said the city is impressed with the work that is being done at the foot of Tin Can Hill, adding, if council wasn't pleased, the developer wouldn't be given the opportunity to do further construction in the Niven Lake subdivision.

On April 6, there will be an open house at city hall from noon to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss the Niven Heights project.

The plan is to build three eight-plex units, 11 three-plex units and a 64-unit apartment building in Niven Phase VII. All of the proposed 121 units will be up for sale, with a dozen 650 square-foot one-bedroom condominiums priced under $200,000 and 50 of the homes priced between $200,000 and $300,000, according to the developer's proposal, which was accepted by council in January.

The preliminary construction schedule, as indicated by the proposal, will have all three of the eight-plex units and six of the three-plex units built by the spring of 2012.

The five remaining three-plexes and the 64-unit apartment building, which consists of 47 two-bedroom units and 17 one-bedroom units, will be complete by spring of 2013.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.