Community Lead Rental Housing Development in Dawson City

Residents may recall the Klondike Development Organization household and business surveys back in 2011 when we asked you how the Klondike could be improved as a place to live, work and do business, and you said:

Household Survey
Changes to improve the area 1st Housing (24%) 2nd Recreation (18%)
Community viability & resident attraction 1st Housing (37%) 2nd Recreation (26%)

Business Survey
Strengthen the economy & create more jobs 1st Housing (15%) 2nd Land Development (9%)
Changes to improve the area 1st Housing (16%) 2nd Recreation (13%)

The full reports are available here. We, and others, have now compiled an extensive library of research on housing in the Klondike and it is evident that there can be no significant socio-economic progress here until such time as we see a quantum leap forward in the supply of housing, and all other initiatives flounder upon this rock.

Home ownership will only ever satisfy a proportion of the market, especially in remote locations. The transition period into a new community such as ours is particularly challenging and there will always be a need for people to settle into the town by renting before buying or building. It is serving this transitional market that we see as critical if we are to grow our population, economy, sustainability of services and quality of life. However, repeated feasibility research has determined that there is no business case for building significant private sector rental developments.

At our most recent community stakeholder partnership forum, fruitful discussions were had surrounding the possibility of a community-owned and operated rental housing project in Dawson City, possibly on the now vacant site that formerly held John Korbo Apartments. It was felt that by founding new housing on balanced local values and ownership, integrated community service organizations and the inclusion of all ages, cultural origins and social circumstances, we would maximize community pride and buy-in and long-term sustainability.

The primary objective would be to provide housing for new residents transitioning into the community, for a maximum of two years before they move out and into ownership or private housing. Serving a diverse range of tenants by mixing traditional market renters with key not-for-profit community service organizations, college students and seasonal workers was held to be an important principle. A number of ground floor units could also be configured as live-work spaces to encourage home-based entrepreneurialism.

We feel that local people working together with government on a community-owned and operated rental housing project, utilizing our detailed local knowledge and leadership, can maximize the potential to meet the housing needs of the entire community, develop new and innovative business models for the delivery of rental housing in Yukon and leave a lasting legacy.

We have only just begun to explore this concept. We are very interested in the thoughts and ideas of Klondike residents and businesses and we would like to hear from you. To find out more about this or any of our other programs, please contact Mark Wickham, Project Manager, e-mail: klondikedevelopment@gmail.com, or call (867) 993-2306. The Klondike Development Organization office is above the bank at 2nd and Queen – follow the signs up the steps.