West Bay condos to go ahead, with larger units, after appeal verdict

The West Bay condo project near Yellowknife’s Tin Can Hill will go ahead – with 21 units, instead of the originally proposed 24 – after a development appeal board issued its verdict.

Construction of those units will start in the next week, developer Milan Mrdjenovich told Cabin Radio. The condos, once advertised for $379,900 each, are now shown starting at $389,900 by realtor Coldwell Banker.

Mrdjenovich said he had altered his plans for the condos following the decision by Yellowknife’s development appeal board to cancel a site density variance on his permit for the School Draw Avenue lot.

The city had originally allowed Mrdjenovich to make each condo smaller than the minimum 125 square metres allowed by zoning bylaws, but neighbouring residents appealed that decision and won.

“The appeal board has the authority to amend any permit that’s been issued …. and we just have to adhere to what they say,” Mrdjenovich told Cabin Radio. He said the appeal board’s verdict meant the building as a whole would remain the same while its individual condos increased in size, resulting in fewer units.

His original plans placed the condos at 109.13 square metres.

Mrdjenovich said on Friday work to construct condos’ piles and foundation would begin “within the next 10 days.”

How exactly the layout of the condos will change to accommodate an additional 16 square metres per unit is not yet known. Mrdjenovich said he and his staff would examine that more closely over the holiday season, with framing of the units due to begin in April.

“It’s not a lot of units,” he said of the change from 24 to 21.

“It’s the smaller of our plans for Yellowknife, so it’s not a big deal on our end.”

Mrdjenovich is currently going through a separate appeals process as he seeks to build a 65-unit apartment building at the other end of School Draw Avenue, on the former Bartam Court lot.

He said plans were also in the works for a third apartment project.