Yukon College seeks input on land reserve

Yukon College is drawing up a master plan that will help guide development of its land reserve.

College officials held an open house Nov. 25 to get input from residents, staff and students on what to do with the new space. Planners hired by the college are looking for input on land use, mobility issues and the local environment.

"We want to be really sensitive to the natural environment around us and be as careful as we can when we're suggesting where you put buildings," said Joyce Drohan, with Vancouver architecture firm Perkins and Will. "At the same time... it's so beautiful we'd like to pull some of that setting into the campus."

Last year the Yukon government granted a 97-hectare land reserve, which would quadruple the college's size. The new parcel is mostly wilderness, crisscrossed with trails. But as the college grows it will face demands for new buildings, student housing and transportation links.

"This particular planning day is about how do we want to use this land," said Karen Barnes, president of Yukon College. "And it's not just about use today but use looking forward 30 years."

Many participants expressed concerns about how an expanded college will fit into the surrounding landscape and nearby neighbourhoods.

"I think it's very important that we maintain the natural setting as much as possible," said Ken Nash, a retired educator who lives in nearby Porter Creek. "That gives it the Northern flavour you want to have in a Northern university."

People can still contribute ideas on the plan, through the college's web site. A draft master plan is expected next March, with a final plan due in May.