Department of Community Services

Consumer Services & Infrastructure Development

Whitehorse Waterfront


Background Information

The Whitehorse Riverfront Wharf project is the result of many years of consultation and planning on the future development and use of the waterfront.  Major milestones in the project’s creation are as follows:

  • Mid 1980s:  Government of Yukon (YG) purchased the waterfront land (boundaries are from behind YG’s Main Administration building to just past Strickland Street) from WP&YR.
  • 1986:  EBA Engineering Ltd. completed a preliminary Geotechnical Investigation for a proposed Yukon River Wharf that was in the planning stage for the same area.
  • Late 1990s:  YG requested that the City of Whitehorse initiate planning for development for the entire Whitehorse waterfront. This was completed through UMA Engineering ltd. and included a large amount of public and stakeholder consultation and participation. These planning documents were used in selecting the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF) priority ‘A’ projects and in supporting the application to Canada.
  • 2004:  YG submitted a Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF) proposal for the development of Yukon Community Waterfronts (Whitehorse and Carcross)
  • 2004 – 06:  Arts Space North (Cohlmeyer Architects) & Tourism and Cultures (Kobayahsi + Zedda Architects) waterfront planning and public consultation processes. The Arts Space North planning exercise included an open house with a questionnaire which allowed the public to provide their preferences for activity, public element and feature choices. The number one ranking for these questions were as follows:
    • Activity – public places for rest / relaxation
    • Public Element – a publicly accessible Wharf
    • Feature – keep the area primarily green / landscaped
  • 2006 – Canada-Yukon CSIF Agreement signed for development of the Whitehorse and Carcross Waterfronts, including the Riverfront Wharf as a Priority ‘A’ project in Whitehorse.
  • 2007 - Community Development retained an architect to prepare several concepts for the planned CSIF base infrastructure components to allow the gathering of public and stakeholder input prior to proceeding with the design process.

 

Development Plan


 Whitehorse Waterfront Concept Plan