Vandalism spate sends houses to the landfill

Vandalism convinced developers of proposed new downtown condos to demolish most of the houses on the site instead of selling them as planned.

Vandalism convinced developers of proposed new downtown condos to demolish most of the houses on the site instead of selling them as planned.

In an interview at the Lowe Street site last Friday afternoon, developer Erik Hougen said the vandalism started in May with some graffiti sprayed on the outer walls of the houses.

Windows were then smashed and, in the past couple of weeks, vandals had gone inside and ripped copper piping out of the walls.

“This vandalism makes you sick,“ Hougen said.

Ideally, the Hougen Group of Companies had hoped to sell each of the downtown houses in one piece with buyers moving the houses off the site.

If that didn’t happen, Hougen said it was thought parts of the buildings and appliances inside could be sold separately, reducing the amount of waste from the site going to the landfill.

“Now you can’t even sell them,“ he said, looking over the site that had seen six houses reduced to three after deciding to demolish them.

The recent spate of vandalism convinced Hougen to simply have the houses demolished, with the most recent demolition happening last Friday afternoon.

While Hougen said he was disappointed that the buildings have to be torn down and taken to the landfill, that didn’t stop him from taking the first few swings on the house being torn down Friday after instruction from Castle Rock Enterprises foreman Jaime Wagner.

Before the house was knocked down, Castle Rock crews remained busy filling in dirt where the three houses in the back had been and packing it down.

The three buildings expected to make up the development won’t likely be finished until 2010.

“We’re in no particular rush to build,“ Hougen said.

With a focus on high quality and becoming LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) certified, Hougen said the company wants
to take its time in planning the four-storey structures before they’re built.

While there are already family members looking at moving in, Hougen noted the homes will be primarily aimed at retirees wanting a high-end home with little maintenance that they can leave for months at a time.

“There’s not a better piece of property,“ he said, pointing to the view that takes in the Yukon River, SS Klondike and the area mountains.

Hougen has deemed it “the most spectacular view in Whitehorse.“

Detailed plans, including the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and the size of each room, have yet to be done.

It’s expected each building will see the two top floors as individual units while the bottom two floors would be divided into two units on each level with 2,600 square feet in each space.

Prospective owners will have input on what the new development units would include, he said.

And though prices still have to be determined as well, Hougen expects the smaller of the two unit types would cost buyers around $500,000. As for whether buyers are willing to pay that much for the condos, Hougen said: “We’ll see.“

The condos could possibly be pre-sold, which would help identify the price range residents are willing to pay.

The high-end development would also feature secured gating for residents. Talks have already started with the owners (the White Pass and Yukon Route) of the lane next to it about extending landscaping to the lane.

The Hougen group is also exploring options such as geothermal heat to bring heating costs down for residents over the long term, Hougen said.

With the high-end development aimed at accommodating the lifestyles of its owners, he noted it’s not in direct competition with the slew of other condo developments springing up around the city.

Aside from family members, there have also been local residents asking about the development even before it’s been advertised.

“We have not marketed at all,“ he said.

The plans for the building will determine the development costs, which will also help determine the prices on the condos.

General work on the land, as well as demolition work will continue for the next couple of weeks.