No bidders in latest Whistle Bend land lottery

The Yukon Government is pushing back development plans for the Whistle Bend subdivision in Whitehorse after there wasn't a single bidder for the latest land lottery this week.

The neighbourhood is intended to house 8,000 residents when fully built.

Development had been on the fast track but there were no bids for phase two lots in this week's land lottery and more than half of phase one lots have still not sold. Prices in phase two start at about $75,000 for a duplex lot and $110,000 for a single-family lot.

Pat Molloy, director of land development with Community Services, says the government will slow down on developing the next stages of the subdivision.

"We had planned to move right into Phase Three construction next year in 2014," Molloy said.

"That looks like it's off the table for at least one year and it might get pushed out for even two years. It does take us two to three years to actually construct the next phase once we get to a certain sales point of the lots that have been developed to date."

Molloy says the City of Whitehorse is almost done planning and engineering on phases three through seven of the subdivision.

Meanwhile at least one developer says he's focusing on selling his current project at the Crocus Glen development in Porter Creek.

Larry Turner with Grey Wolf Builders said his company doesn't plan to buy land in Whistle Bend in the near future. Turner says the market has slowed and 21 of his 35 Crocus Glen homes are still for sale, more than he'd hoped for by this time.

"I don't think we want to acquire particularly in Whistle Bend," he said. "I think those lots are where the market is going but I don't think it's there yet.I mean they're fairly high priced."

Turner says it's good to have a stockpile but the market will need to grow into that price.