City advances plan for housing units on Con-Burwash rock outcrop

The City of Yellowknife is beginning the next stage of a process designed to turn a rock outcrop between Con Road and Burwash Drive into housing.

The city has had its eye on that undeveloped patch of land for years as a possible location for infill – housing developments that slot into areas where plenty of buildings already exist.

The outcrop is in a part of Yellowknife that has been a residential neighbourhood for decades.

A sign appeared on Con Road last week advertising the city’s plan to advance a zoning amendment for the area.

If the amendment is approved – the city is both the applicant and the decision-maker – then the space between Con Road and Burwash Drive would be rezoned from “natural area” to “residential central one.”

The city has in mind five residential lots and three blocks of rowhouses.

In early 2023, after the city made public its desire to develop the outcrop, councillors asked residents for feedback.

“The green space that we have around Burwash and Con is pretty crucial to families in the area,” nearby resident Lindsay Armer told council at the time in a presentation.

“When I asked my daughter if she would like to see apartments next door, townhomes next door, she said, ‘Well, where am I going to play with my friends in nature?’ She’d have to go too far, she’d have to take an adult with her, but right now, it’s right next door.”

Then-mayor Rebecca Alty suggested a possible compromise: the pocket neighbourhood model, which looks to improve access to outdoor space by situating homes around a shared courtyard or park.

“Would you be open to seeing parcels along Burwash and Con if the middle was kept and preserved?” Alty asked, suggesting that would mean “more residential areas along the border beside Burwash and Con Road while maintaining the rock and green space in the middle, so all folks can have access to it and climb on it.”

Armer felt that would detract from her family’s enjoyment of the area.

At the same meeting, councillor Tom McLennan noted a 2009 natural area preservation report had recommended the Burwash and Con area be left as-is.

“Hard decisions will need to be made by council when looking at infill. That study you mentioned does say 100 percent of this property should be kept for natural areas,” responded city planning director Charlsey White. “However, we’re much further along and in greater need than we were in 2009.”

The tentative map put forward by the city for development in the area appears to follow Alty’s suggestion. New homes would be built around the edge, with a pathway and some green space preserved in the middle.

Residents have until June 12 to provide feedback on the proposed zoning amendment.

The amendment passing does not automatically mean the new homes will be built. At the moment, it’s not clear that any developer is lined up to do the work.