Rocky road ahead for proposed gravel quarry near Miles Canyon

A proposed new gravel quarry in Whitehorse has met opposition from city staff, and a local First Nation.

NorcopeConstruction Group wants to build and operate a quarry and industrial operation on a 21 hectare parcel of land sandwiched between the Alaska Highway and the Yukon Rivernear Miles Canyon.

"On site, you can see what a prime opportunity this is," said Norcope's Doug Gonder, speaking to city council on Monday.

"This site that we're going in here now was not just a Norcope ...you know, find it on the map and put an 'x'.I mean, planning looked at the zoning, we lookedthat we weren't interfering with anything else in the area."

He argued that his development would "keepthe price of gravel down."

But city officials say there are some problems with the proposal, such as its proximity to Ta'an Kwch'nand KwanlinDn residential development lands. The city requires a 300-metre buffer between quarries and residential areas, and Norcope'soperation would be too close about 180 metres away.

The Ta'anKwch'nCouncil hasalready asked the city to reject the proposal.

Question of road access

Gondertold council he's willing to scale back his project to meet the city's buffer requirements, but there are other issues, as well such as where Norcopewould build a haul road to access the site.

According to city officials, the Yukongovernment has ruled out access from the Alaska Highway. The Whitepass and Yukon Route railway has also said thatNorcopewon't be allowed to use its parcel of land there, for access.

That leaves Miles Canyon Road, a seasonal road that's mostly used by tourists and residents to access the Miles Canyon recreation site.

City staff also noted that the area is a prime location for future development, and a quarry might make that unfeasible.They also noted that the existing McLeanLake quarry area has plenty of gravel for the city's current needs.

Councilors will vote on the proposal next week.