The City of Whitehorse is preparing to overhaul its zoning framework through the proposed Zoning Bylaw 2025-37. While the short-term rental regulations have drawn much of the public’s attention, the bylaw contains a range of other changes that could significantly affect the real estate market, with new opportunities and shifting constraints in how land and housing can be used and built.
Expanding Housing Potential: Increased Flexibility and Density
A central goal of the new zoning bylaw is to increase the range of housing options and remove some of the barriers that have limited small-scale development.
Supportive and Affordable Housing as Principal Uses
Under the 2012-20 bylaw, supportive housing was treated as a conditional use in many areas, limiting where it could be built. The new bylaw would make supportive housing a principal use in all residential zones, simplifying approvals and broadening the types of developments that can qualify.
Incentives for Affordable Housing Provision
To encourage the inclusion of affordable units, the draft bylaw introduces development allowances such as increased building height, higher site coverage, and reduced parking requirements for qualifying projects. In practical terms, these incentives translate into more buildable area and reduced cost per unit, making affordable housing projects more financially viable while preserving profitability.
Reduced Parking Minimums
The proposed bylaw adjusts parking standards; in the downtown area, the old rule required one space per two units, while under the new bylaw, no minimum parking will be required for residential developments, except for accessible spaces. In urban core areas, parking requirements change for developments of four or more units, dropping from one space per dwelling to 0.75 spaces per unit, excluding garden and living suites, while smaller developments continue to require one parking space per unit. In urban centres, the requirement falls to one space per two principal dwelling units.
Visitor and loading spaces would no longer be mandatory in any zone, and the City has also introduced a maximum parking cap of 1.2 spaces per unit downtown to discourage excessive surface parking.
Higher Maximum Building Heights
Across several zones, the City is raising or clarifying height limits to support greater density. For example, in Residential Comprehensive Development (RCD) areas, height can now reach 11.0 metres when two or more units are provided. In Residential Standard Development (RSD) zones, height remains at 10.0 metres, but site coverage increases from 40% to 50% for multi-unit lots.
Mobile Homes and Secondary Housing Units
The new bylaw introduces a subtle but significant shift by allowing mobile homes as a principal use or garden suite within Residential – Comprehensive Development (RCD) and Residential – Standard Development (RSD) zones. This change diversifies lower-cost housing options and provides landowners with new ways to generate income.
Worker Housing in Industrial Zones
One of the more innovative changes is the formal recognition of worker housing as a permissible use in industrial zones. Whitehorse’s industrial areas often host seasonal or project-based workforces, and until now, on-site housing required special permissions or temporary use permits. The new bylaw streamlines this process, allowing employers or developers to create dedicated worker housing facilities without lengthy rezoning.
A New Development Landscape
If adopted later in 2025, the Zoning Bylaw 2025-37 will be a key evolution in Whitehorse’s planning framework. It aligns with the city’s broader policy direction toward higher density, affordability, and efficient land use, while introducing practical reforms that could reshape investment patterns. Projects advanced before the bylaw’s adoption may still fall under current rules, while new applications post-adoption will need to meet the revised standards.