The CitySA国际影视传媒檚 new draft zoning bylaw shows a lot of promise for smarter development, Yellowknife business owners say.

Unveiled on Aug. 24, the proposed rules would update the bylaws to comply with the 2020 Community Plan.

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The proposed bylaws would revitalize the downtown by increasing development density, permitting mixed development in many zones, allowing urban agriculture in most zones and committing to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by respecting their role in development decisions.

The Ndilo zone isnSA国际影视传媒檛 part of the regulations as the City recognizes Yellowknives Dene authority over Ndilo.

The draft bylaw also has fewer zones (22) than the existing zoning bylaw, with 37.

The draft is the result of consultations the City conducted in 2020 with residents, businesses, community organizations and Indigenous governments, whose recommendations were incorporated into the proposed bylaws.

Robert Warburton, owner of real estate investment company CloudWorks was one of the business owners consulted on the draft.

He said heSA国际影视传媒檚 excited about the proposed changes.

SA国际影视传媒淚t meets all the goals I want to see from the community plan as an investor,SA国际影视传媒� Warburton said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t eliminates some of the weird practical barriers to using properties to the full extent. For example: detached secondary suites, or little houses in your backyard. The old bylaws had that in there but the old rules make it very hard to build financially in the real world. They didnSA国际影视传媒檛 acknowledge the reality of financing a property. The new ones acknowledge that.SA国际影视传媒�

Warburton further explained that detached secondary suites will be allowed in every zone of the city, potentially allowing everyone who owns a house to be a developer and not just the big companies.

SA国际影视传媒淭he secondary suites bylaw could allow 20 people to build 20 small homes in their backyard. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 20 more units per year. Now you donSA国际影视传媒檛 have to wait a decade for a big developer to come and build something. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 exciting. And it costs no more land (and) no more infrastructure. YouSA国际影视传媒檙e just using things better. Development doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to be a big huge dollar thing. YouSA国际影视传媒檙e opening up a huge pool to help make the city denser.SA国际影视传媒�

Another smart aspect of the bylaws that Warburton points to is the deregulation of parking spaces. Several types of businesses, services, public buildings and residential areas list SA国际影视传媒渘o minimum parking requiredSA国际影视传媒� under their parking standards. That answers the priorities of the CitySA国际影视传媒檚 Community Plan that seeks to curtail parking space construction and regulations.

SA国际影视传媒淗alf of downtown is basically a parking lot. Previous bylaws required significant parking (areas). But now youSA国际影视传媒檙e not required to have parking spots downtown. Removing that parking requirement downtown removes a lot of barriers to reusing and rebuilding properties. Now weSA国际影视传媒檙e not encouraging more surface parking lots which are horrible for our downtown,SA国际影视传媒� Warburton said.

For BullockSA国际影视传媒檚 Bistro owner Jo-Ann Martin, one of the strengths of the draft is the flexibility with zoning regulations, something that will be needed in the coming years as different types of businesses set up in Yellowknife.

Martin and her husband Mark Elson have since May been building a new bottling plant for their BullockSA国际影视传媒檚 sauces in Kam Lake.

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While the path to setting up Great Slave Bottling Co. has mostly been smooth for them, the proposed bylaws would have sped up the process in their initial search for a site if the bylaws were already in force.

SA国际影视传媒淲e looked around and we were quick to learn we had didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have many options with full services. I think the new bylaws state which areas will have what. It will save time for people and give them more knowledge on what they can find. You donSA国际影视传媒檛 have to design a property to make it work, it will already be zoned for it because of the permitted uses,SA国际影视传媒� Martin said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t could make things easier for us. Food processing is put in there with heavy duty industrial, which opens up more options. It will make it a lot more convenient for businesses like mine to know where in town they can build those businesses.SA国际影视传媒�

The possibility of doing urban agriculture in most zones intrigues Kyle Thomas, co-owner of Bush Order Provisions.

Like Martin, he also recently set up part of his business in Kam Lake in the form of an urban farm.

But itSA国际影视传媒檚 too early for Thomas to know how the bylaws could affect him or future urban farmers.

The draft states that urban agriculture will be a permitted use in growth management areas which are normally intended for outdoor recreation or tourism purposes.

SA国际影视传媒淚t sounds great that they added urban agriculture to (those) zones, but if rocks have to be cleared then itSA国际影视传媒檚 not feasible on a commercial scale,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淗opefully what changes with the zoning bylaws is it making it more straightforward to go online or call someone and say I want to do something on this property.SA国际影视传媒�

The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is preparing its draft submission to city council on the bylaws and isnSA国际影视传媒檛 prepared to comment until the draft is finished in September, said executive director Deneen Everett.

SA国际影视传媒淭he zoning bylaw is a very important issue for Yellowknife businesses and is one of our key advocacy priorities for the year,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Third reading by council is expected to happen sometime in January 2022, said Mayor Rebecca Alty.