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Council briefs Extension of Curry Drive approved Simon Whitehouse Northern News Services Published Friday, May 11, 2012
The city will now go ahead with tendering work for a road which will provide access to 30 new residential lots being planned on the north side of the lake. Last month, council approved the development scheme for the properties which will create a new housing designation in the city known as "waterside residential." The city will be paying for this portion of the project with $912,000 coming from the land development fund. Mayor Gord Van Tighem said he expects the construction to take place over the coming year. He said the 35 light industrial lots in Kam Lake are expected come up for sale over the next few weeks. "Beyond that, the road will be extended toward Grace Lake and once the appraisals are done there, those lots will come up for sale," said Van Tighem, adding the Grade Lake lots will most likely be coming up for sale over the next couple of months. "So it will be finish the roads, sell the land and people will start building," said Van Tighem. Energuide 80 updates City council reviewed a motion at the municipal services meeting Monday which intends to clarify the energy efficiency requirements in the city's building bylaw. While the motion was largely a "housekeeping" move to ensure the requirement for EnerGuide 80 for New Homes is now in full effect, the amendment also extends the period of time in which multi-residential homes must meet the standards to Jan. 1, 2014. Coun. Cory Vanthuyne, who has been one of the most critical members on council concerning Energuide 80, welcomed the new time frame. He said his fear is that the city is over-regulating home building and renovations. He asked city administration to come back to council with plans on how the city can help homeowners and developers of multi-residential units meet the energy efficiency requirements. He said this will go a long way in ensuring there is more affordable housing in the city. "As opposed to bumping this back two years, I asked administration to look at what can we do in terms of goals and objectives to help the multis meet the EnerGuide 80," he said, adding he hopes this could be done over the next six months. "Administration said they would do that." Goals to make housing more energy-efficient should also be supplemented with examples in town so that such concepts can be managed better in the future, he added. City doling out facade improvement money The Smart Growth Implementation Committee issued $45,000 to area businesses in order to improve the look of the downtown. Committee chair Bob Brooks told council that the committee received a high number of requests this year with up to nine having applied for money. Typically the committee gets between four and five applicants and in some years have had none at all. Subject to council's approval next week, Roman Empire on 53 Street will receive the city's biggest contribution for major upgrades with $12,500. That money will go largely to stone masonry work. Other recipients expecting to receive facade funding include: the Yellowknife Association for Community Living - $5,500 for automating a door; Centre Square Mall, $5,000; Coast Fraser Tower, $5,000; Home Building Centre, $5,000; Quilted Raven, $6,000; YK Motors, $5,000; and Williams Engineering, $1,000.
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