03/17/2024
Land Use
THIS WEEK: Planning & Zoning Commission work session and public hearing on the HOME initiative zoning reform at their March 18, 2024 meeting. Excerpt from the Planning Department staff report: “The Planning Department is supportive of the concept and general direction of more flexibility in the zoning regulations, reforming zoning to improve equity and housing opportunities, and allowing mixed-use where appropriate…” (read on for their caveats). At last week’s Community & Economic Development Committee meeting the planning director confirmed: “We’re supportive of the concept [of HOME]…our role is to make sure that any changes work with the code.” Find more documents for the PZC meeting here. The worksession should start at 5:30pm, the meeting at 6:30pm.
UP FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Regulating Short Term Rentals. Public hearing for AO 2023-110(S-1). Updated memo on why this is a slightly different version.
NEW: Heritage Land Bank's 5 year work plan introduced to the Assembly as item 10.G.1 at the March 19, 2024 meeting. Document available here.
NEW: Residential construction permitting is at about 50% of normal of the past few years according to the audio from the March 14, 2024 Community and Economic Development Committee meeting (approximately minute 38).
Transportation
NEW: Domino's Pizza as Public Service Provider: Anchorage has the distinction of being awarded a $25,000 “Plowing for Pizza” award. AR 2024-102 at the March 29, 2024 Assembly meeting.
UP FOR PUBLIC HEARING: No turn on red Downtown. Public hearing for AO 2024-14. From the memorandum: “This change frees the driver to focus on their direction of travel and be more aware of the vulnerable road users around them, as opposed to having to focus on oncoming traffic.”
NEW: AMATS Policy Committee March 21, 2024. Agenda. Includes discussion of the AMATS Safety Plan and to-the-point comments on the Seward/Glenn highway expansion project (PEL): “Building highways is not part of the current best practices within the transportation planning profession.”
NEW: Anchorage Transportation Fair March 28th 2024, 3-7pm. The place to learn about all the transportation projects occurring in or planned for Anchorage for the next year or more.
ONGOING: Municipality of Anchorage Transportation Priorities Survey: Share your perspective on the future of transportation infrastructure investments in Anchorage.
ONGOING: Seward/Glenn PEL Comments close on April 7th, 2024. AKDOT Open House materials here.
Election
NEW: Mayoral Candidate Comparison Guide. A few mentions of getting more housing, and at least one mention of Title 21.
ONGOING: Bond Items:
Public Safety and Traffic Improvements, including an increase in funding for traffic calming and safety improvements.
Roads and Drainage, including a good lump of funding for upgrades to 42nd Ave.