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Should Kam Lake be re-zoned?
City and property owners consider including residential zoning to Kam Lake Industrial Park

Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, November 19, 2011

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When a Yellowknife business owner ran into financial difficulty with his outfitting company, he wanted to look at re-financing his home. It turns out, however, that because of the way his property is zoned, he is unable to.

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Kam Lake resident Gary Jaeb, pictured here with granddaughter Zoey Jaeb, age 2, is one of a group of Kam Lake residents asking the city to consider re-zoning property in the Kam Lake industrial park to include residential. - Laura Busch/NNSL photo

Gary Jaeb runs True North Safaris Ltd. out of his property on Enterprise Drive in the Kam Lake Industrial Park. On the same property is a four-bedroom "caretaker residence" that he would ideally like to sell to his son who currently lives in the home – if he were allowed to do so.

"We're strapped financially," said Jaeb. "The government shut down the caribou hunting and, you know, our tourism business is struggling and we're doing other things and we're trying to refinance."

Jaeb is not the only Kam Lake resident asking the city to consider re-zoning the industrial park to reflect the many purposes the land is used for by those who own the lots.

The newly-formed Kam Lake Property Owners Association has been holding meetings with city councilors regarding the re-zoning issue and other planning issues that affect residents and business owners in the industrial park.

"The reason that the association was formed stemmed from when people out here looked at the general plan and the Smart Growth Plan, there was little or no mention of the Kam Lake community, if you will," said Eric Sputec, a director in the Kam Lake Property Owners Association. "We were concerned what considerations were being made for Kam Lake in the city's long-term planning."

The association wants to work with the city on development concerns in and around Kam Lake. The owners association is still in its infancy – now that it has officially become an association, their focus is to recruit members and eventually hold official elections to select executive members, said Sputec.

With so many new developments in the works for the Kam Lake area, the city is encroaching more and more on established residents in Kam Lake – a neighbourhood that in the past had prided itself on being on the outskirts.

"Now that the city is growing and the city is talking about developing property on Grace Lake and there's talk of a new residential area on Coronation Drive – that's going to bring the city closer to the industrial park, so there are a lot of things that need to be talked about," said Sputec.

As it is zoned now, Kam Lake property owners are allowed to have one residence per lot – called a "caretakers' residence."

"Part of the attraction for me personally was that we could have our shop and our equipment and all our stuff and live close to it so we could keep an eye on it," said Niels Konge, owner-operator of Konge Construction. Konge also said that a bonus to living on the same property as his business is his 30-second commute from work to home, which allows him to spend time with his family and work during off-hours.

The caretaker's unit clause has been interpreted in many ways throughout the Kam Lake industrial area, said Jaeb. As an example, he pointed to the house that neighbours his property, which is zoned as a commercial dog kennel with a caretaker's residence, however there are no dogs to be found.

"This is not a typical commercial-industrial park like you'd see in Edmonton," said Jaeb. "So, I think there's really room for the city to look at (re-zoning). Maybe not all of Kam Lake will become commercial-industrial-residential, but I think parts of it could be."

Re-zoning the area would allow residents to take advantage of CMHC mortgages, Jaeb says – something that is not possible for solely commercial properties. This would mean that instead of having to pay between 30 and 40 per cent in a down payment to purchase a commercial lot, buyers could receive a more affordable mortgage and only have to put 10 per cent down.

"Because of financing, young people could come and buy properties or buy buildings out here and live here and start businesses," said Jaeb. "Talking about Yellowknife and the lack of housing, it would, I think, help deal with the housing shortage and the cost of living."

For now, the City of Yellowknife and the Kam Lake Property Owners' Association, along with other stakeholders, are working to keep the lines of communication open on development issues that will affect established businesses in the industrial park.

"We've had several meetings with the city where they have invited us to come down to city hall to talk about the General Plan and the Smart Growth Plan and specifically about the zoning possibility," said Sputec.

There was a detailed meeting with the city about re-zoning on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The city is currently mulling over considerations from what came out at this meeting and will be presenting draft recommendations to Kam Lake property owners in December, Sputec said.

City of Yellowknife officials declined to comment on this issue, stating they prefer to wait until official recommendations have been presented to the Council Committee.

"It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out," said Konge. "I'm pretty happy that the city, instead of just re-zoning it, they're actually consulting with the people affected beforehand. That, I think, is very smart on their behalf."

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