City of Yellowknife staff are accepting design and development proposals for a 68-hectare Kam Lake subdivision. Work on an area development plan continues.
Tatsuyuki Setta, the city’s manager of planning and environment, said staff began planning a subdivision west of Enterprise Drive and north of Grace Lake – now referred to as Kam Lake Ridge – in 2020.
That work was paused because the “public voice wasn’t reflected in the plan,” Setta said. The project resumed in 2024, this time as an area development plan, with public engagement and a market study.
An area development plan provides detailed guidelines for how a specific part of the city will grow over time.
While the City of Yellowknife’s website states the Kam Lake Ridge area development plan was supposed to be approved by council before October’s municipal election, Setta said this hasn’t happened yet.
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Before the plan goes to the new council for approval, Setta said staff will consider and incorporate feedback from the public received in 2024 and at an open house in July.
The 68 hectares of land are set to become lots for light industrial, commercial and agricultural use. This will occur in phases, starting with development and sale of lots in the northern part of the subdivision.
Setta said he expects the first phase to be complete in five to 10 years, depending on demand for land – which he anticipates will be high.
Construction on phase one is expected to begin in 2027, city documents state.
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Maps presented at an open house in July show a trail around wetlands in the middle of the subdivision that would connect to the Grace Lake Trail.
“Protection of identified natural heritage features and water bodies shall be included in design consideration,” a recently published request for proposals states.
According to city documents, feedback received so far suggests the public’s main concern is the width of a buffer zone between Grace Lake’s residential area and the planned industrial activity.
The city recommended a 30-metre buffer zone but some residents have asked for that to be extended to 100 metres, with an existing fire break not counted toward that. Documents included in the request for proposals state the subdivision design must include a 30-metre buffer to existing residential properties.
Residents have also asked city staff to consider how wetlands will be protected, how certain land uses like low-emission or zero-emission businesses will be encouraged or required, how the city might deliver water and sewer to the lots, how road entrances to Kam Lake Ridge could affect Grace Lake Boulevard and nearby residential areas, and whether housing or residential uses should be considered for Kam Lake Ridge.
One aspect of the development that received support from the public was the potential for lot sizes that are either similar to those in existing areas of Kam Lake or smaller. Those sizes are “seen as more practical and affordable for entrepreneurs and growing businesses,” a feedback report stated.
Proposals for subdivision design and development are due by November 18 at 3pm through the City of Yellowknife’s bids and tenders website.
The city said a successful proposal could be selected by December 7.
