CARCROSS MARINA DESIGN & FEASIBILITY

Recognizing the need to address economic development and space challenges, the Government of Yukon and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation Development Corporation hired 3Pikas to lead a multidisciplinary team of planners, designers, engineers, and biologists in developing a marina concept for the Natasaheeni River in downtown Carcross.

The Natasaheeni waterfront, affected by various infrastructure challenges, including the railway track, contamination, flooding, and servicing infrastructure constraints, remains the last buildable area in the downtown core and offers tremendous economic development potential.

Despite the challenges, 3Pikas has developed an approach to the revitalization of the area that focuses on leveraging the site’s greatest strengths, including its SS Tushi and the opportunities for further expanding the Carcross Commons onto the Marina, and unparalleled opportunity to develop an iconic, natural riverfront.

Recognizing the transformative potential of the development around the existing Commons, 3Pikas has taken a creative approach that is sensitive to the natural and cultural beauty of the area, ensuring future development does not compromise the existing community of businesses but instead provides complementary and ancillary benefits. Importantly, the plan also unlocks substantial new employment lands and tourism products as well, generating a balanced spread of crafts-stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and outdoor adventure shops around the Commons and train station.

We have also integrated ecological and tourism programming and landscape architecture into the waterfront treatment, seizing on the site’s uniqueness as one of the only potential tourism marinas in Yukon. Finding opportunities to elevate the stature of the waterfront’s pristine natural environment and increasing public access to the river creates a community-river interface.

Once completed, this area will be primed for several small-scale pop-up retail shops located on the Marina Wharf, cabin rentals, an outdoor adventure space, a performance space, and boat moorage opportunities. The scope of the work also included exploring management models (e.g., public/private partnerships, trusts, harbor authority, etc), and preparing cost estimates and projected annual revenue.

Partners: KZA Architects & Associated Engineering.