Yellowknife residents have their say on future of downtown parking lot

Public workshops in Yellowknife's Centre Square Mall are giving residents their say on a central downtown parking lot, but some people are saying the City has overstepped its bounds.

The lot, directly adjacent to Centre Square on the corner of 50 Street and 50 Avenue, was bought by the City of Yellowknife in September of last year. The City intends to use the space to help revitalize the downtown core, and is consulting with the public on future uses, which could include an outdoor plaza.

However, some people, including Chris Wood, say the city should leave development to private business.

"I think the City of Yellowknife should get out of the business of buying up properties and trying to develop them," says Wood, who owns a business downtown. "If these properties are worth developing, then private developers would step in."

Yellowknife mayor Mark Heyck says that he used to believe that, but now realizes that the downtown is not going to bounce back by itself. 

"I have seen, over a decade of observing the continual decline of our downtown core, that that's not the case," he says. "And it did require someone to step up and take a leadership role, and that wasn't going to be anyone but the city."

'Make it lively'

The capital's downtown core has been targeted by the City for revitalization as far back as 2011, when Chamber of Commerce officials brought their concerns to council. 

At the time, Chamber officials said homelessness, public drunkenness and other social problems were driving retailers to Yellowknife's suburbs. 

Janaki Balakrishnan, who lives downtown, attended the workshop on Tuesday. She says she walks to Centre Square Mall often, and if the City is able to revive the area, she will be "one of the happiest people.

"Make it convenient for them to walk around," she says. "If it is lively during the working hours, It'll be lively during the other times as well."

Balakrishnan says she would like to see the parking lot used to attract people to the core, suggesting an open air market as one possibility.

Heyck says council is open to any and all ideas on how to develop the the parking lot. The public sessions wrap up Wednesday afternoon.