City of Yellowknife looks to rezone popular Willow Flats green space for housing

Yellowknife resident Kim Harrower is a regular at the city's Willow Flats area, where she walks and listens to the birds in the morning. She says the wetland area there is good bird habitat, and it brings the community together. 

"This is something to be grateful for and preserved I feel, rather than destroyed," she said. 

Harrower and some other city residents aren't happy that the popular green space could become housing. The area is located east of School Draw Avenue and north of Rotary Centennial Park and the city wants to rezone part of it for potential residential development. 

It's currently designated as a natural area and includes many trails, boardwalks and a skate park.

The city says it is taking public feedback on the zoning amendment until June 27, and a review decision is expected sometime this fall.

Harrower says she has emailed her concerns to the city.

"In the migration time with the birds, you get so many birds passed through here. You get people with big cameras and scopes," Harrower said. "You can meet young people riding their bikes ... it's a good safe place to explore nature."

She says she knows the city needs new housing, but she hopes some other site can be found. 

Meagan Taylor, another Yellowknife resident, lives in an apartment on Lundquist Road across from the Willow Flats area. She said it is unfortunate that the city is looking to build in a place where there's already so much activity.

She says she sees lots of kids from the area go there with bikes or skateboards.

"I have a four-year-old and he comes over across the way to the skate park area, and kind of just runs along the boarded stuff," Taylor said.

"It's actually a place that should be improved and not torn down." 

'Kids started to migrate into it'

David Gilday has lived on Lundquist Road since 1989 and he says he's really seen the neighbourhood grow. He showed a picture of his family standing on the road, looking out toward the lake.

"There are no bushes. Back then we could stand here and look down the lake and it was very open. So all this growth has been since 1989," Gilday said.

Gilday recalls how years ago, the Willow Flats area was "a mess," where people drove trucks or off-road vehicles and people didn't clean up after their dogs. About 25 years ago, he decided to cut the grass, clear some rocks and turn it into a place that looks tended, as it does still.

"People respected it and kids started to migrate into it ... kids were coming in and they were building jumps on the site," Gilday said.

Gilday believes that cities need green areas, and that Yellowknife could find other areas for housing such as the big vacant lot across from St. Patrick High School or by the Multiplex.

Suzanne Carriere, a retired N.W.T. government biologist, says rezoning Willow Flats is not a good idea. She said building in parts of the wetland would require lots of fill, and that could change the water flow and affect the natural habitat.

"I think if you change half of that, that you change all of it," Carriere said. 

Carriere says it's also one of the city's main nesting areas of yellow warblers and some other birds. She says it's also the only place where people can be at lake level and see Great Slave Lake, not surrounded by homes and buildings.

Curves around wetlands

Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen said rezoning would undoubtedly affect the area, but not all of it. 

"It sort of curves and that sort of hugs the trees and the bushes and the wetland. But again, it's up to people to decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Hendriksen said. 

Plans to develop part of Willow Flats have been in the works for two years. He said the rezoning plans started in 2023, when several land parcels were looked at for future housing development. Willow Flats was one of five parcels being looked at then.

Hendriksen said several councillors expressed concerns at the time. 

"There was some discussion and some debate specifically around this one piece that I know has, you know, caught the attention of many Yellowknifers," Hendriksen said.

He said a majority of the council ultimately supported moving forward with the plan.

Hendriksen says after the public feedback period ends on June 27, the city will analyze the responses along with other work done by city planners. A decision on the proposed rezoning is expected by fall.

In the meantime, Hendriksen encourages people to share their thoughts with the city.

"If people are are interested in either direction, it's always important for council to hear about that," Hendriksen said.